Wood, kaolin highlights height 13 1/8in (33.5cm) Provenance Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Abrams Collection, Greenwich, Connecticut Bonhams, New York, 15 May 2008, Lot 752 Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, Washington, D.C. Published Robbins, Warren and Nancy Nooter, African Art in American Collections, Smithsonian Institution, 2004, fig. 1108 African Heritage Archives no. 0042076 This magnificent stool, skillfully carved from one piece of wood, is an instance of extreme sculptural creativity by an artist. The proximity of the Songye and Lulua cultures possibly explain the infusion of the two styles with Songye facial features and Lulua body composition often seen in pipes, mortars and crouching figures. The profound visual tension of the figure's expression is juxtaposed with the fragility and playfulness of the openwork spine with the arms, legs and spine playfully curving and bending, creating a composition of positive and negative space; dark brown reflective patina with kaolin highlights to face.
Wood, kaolin highlights height 13 1/8in (33.5cm) Provenance Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Abrams Collection, Greenwich, Connecticut Bonhams, New York, 15 May 2008, Lot 752 Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, Washington, D.C. Published Robbins, Warren and Nancy Nooter, African Art in American Collections, Smithsonian Institution, 2004, fig. 1108 African Heritage Archives no. 0042076 This magnificent stool, skillfully carved from one piece of wood, is an instance of extreme sculptural creativity by an artist. The proximity of the Songye and Lulua cultures possibly explain the infusion of the two styles with Songye facial features and Lulua body composition often seen in pipes, mortars and crouching figures. The profound visual tension of the figure's expression is juxtaposed with the fragility and playfulness of the openwork spine with the arms, legs and spine playfully curving and bending, creating a composition of positive and negative space; dark brown reflective patina with kaolin highlights to face.
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