AAA963 Hemba sculpture

The sculpture represented is a Hemba work, measuring 54.5x14x11 cm, originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and dated from the middle of the 20th century. This piece is characteristic of Hemba art, known for its depiction of ancestral figures. As a spiritual container, this figure was supposed to facilitate the connection between the world of the ancestors and that of the living, playing an important role in the rituals and belief in the afterlife among the Hemba.