PUNU, GABON
WOOD, HEIGHT 53CM

Punu artists carved small statues of female ancestor with similar features as the famed Punu masks. The statues were kept next to the reliquaries as prestige objects. This carving is really beautifully finished with raised scarifications and white and black pigment to enhance the visual impact. This statue like so many comes directly from Nji Idriss Mbombo, the father of my good friend Abraham, collected on his travels between the 1950’s and the 1980’s.