POSSIBLY HEMBA, CONGO
WOOD, BRASS, HEIGHT 58CM

A unique and one of my favourite pieces. It doesn’t fit into any of the standard categories and I still don’t know exactly where it originated. At regular intervals, most probably during ceremonies and other gatherings, chicken and other animals were sacrificed and the blood poured over the statue. This gives the unique patchy patina. The face displays utter agony, rarely matched if at all by the best known sculptors anywhere.