Pendant , Late 18th century
80 x 42 cm (h x w)
Carved Ivory

These pieces is currently display at the National Museum of African Art in the Smithsonian.

Ivory figurine pendant, flat with diamond shaped head, the chin on the torso and short legs. The pendant has a honey colored patina with darker color in recesses.

Precolonial Lega society was governed by Bwami, a graded association open to all men and women in a given village. Bwami was also an educational system through which esteemed Lega values were taught. Above all, Bwami conveyed prestige, and its activities were the sole impetus for the visual arts.
The highest grades in Bwami were yananio and kindi, ranks comprising the intellectual, moral and political elite of the society, who were privileged to own or have access to the most prestigious art forms. Among these were carved wood, ivory or bone figurines that were also used to teach Bwami initiates moral precepts. The figurines represent a vast array of characters and personages from Bwami proverbs. They illustrate such cultural values as respect and moderation. This figurine is also a pendant and would have been worn suspended from a necklace or belt.

Ausgestellt von

Ikonospace

Mehr von Ikonospace

Touched by Light , 2022
100 x 100 x 1 cm (h x w x d)
Acrylics on canvas
Ikonospace
Reinvention , 2022
70 x 50 x 1 cm (h x w x d)
Acrylics and silicone oil on canvas
Ikonospace
Golden Green , 2022
50 x 50 x 1 cm (h x w x d)
Acrylics and silicone oil on canvas
Ikonospace
Immersing in the Ocean , 2022
50 x 50 x 1 cm (h x w x d)
Acrylics and silicone oil on canvas
Ikonospace
Where the Seas Meets the Sky , 2022
24 x 30 x 1 cm (h x w x d)
Acrylics on canvas
Ikonospace