Results for Artist/Maker Nationality:Bembe (Kongo)

6 UMMA Objects
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This carved wooden figure depicts a standing male, and is one of a pair that includes a female figure also carved by the same hand. According to noted art historian Niangi Batulukisi, these two figures deviate from the classical Bembe style and are “an extreme rarity” due to the fact that they are likely connected to an ancient pre-Bembe style.<br /><br />
The male figure’s trunk is disproportionately long, while the legs are slightly flexed at the knees. His facial features includes closed eyes set in round, ocular cavities and a perfectly rounded, open mouth.  The hairstyle bears geometric motifs. Most striking, however, is that medicinal substances have been tied around the male’s entire torso--indeed from his neck to his pelvis--by tightly-wound, resin-covered strings. Moreover, a hole appears on the crown of his head, likely intended for the placement of an animal horn containing even more medicinal ingredients. A small sliver of a white shell appears across the figure’s chest. Traces of tukula powder ca
Bembe (Bembe (Kongo))
Male Figure
1865 – 1875
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
2005/1.196.2
This carved wooden figure depicts a standing female, and is one of a pair that includes a male figure also carved by the same hand. According to noted art historian Niangi Batulukisi, these two figures deviate from the classical Bembe style and are “an extreme rarity” due to the fact that they are likely connected to an ancient pre-Bembe style.<br /><br />
The female figure’s trunk is disproportionately long, while the legs appear stockier and are slightly flexed at the knees. Her facial features include narrow eyes set in round, ocular cavities and an open mouth. The hairstyle is of a simple design. The breasts and the umbilicus protrude outward, the shoulders curve inward, and the palms of the hand rest upon either side of the abdomen. Traces of tukula powder can be found upon the figure’s surface.<br /><br />
It is almost certain that the female figure’s torso was at one point wrapped with medicinal ingredients, just like her male counterpart. Moreover, a hole appears on the crown of her head, likely inten
Bembe (Bembe (Kongo))
Female Figure
1865 – 1875
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
2005/1.196.1
This ovoid, wooden Bembe mask depicts a human face. The right half of the face, however, has been painted black, creating a bifurcated appearance. Its facial characteristics include large, almond-shape eyes set in rounded, ocular cavities; a slender nose; and, an open mouth painted white. Most striking, however, are the long, black and white porcupine quills that have been carefully tied around the mask’s perimeter, yielding a dramatic, formidable look.
Bembe (Bembe (Kongo))
Mask
1935 – 1945
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
2005/1.195
This wooden, zoomorphic Bembe <em>alunga</em> mask represents an owl. The mask has an elongated, bell-shaped form, with much of its base pigmented black. The owl has two white, oval-shaped, concave oracular cavities with protruding, half-moon eyes and a long, narrow beak. The foot of the mask features two serpents that have been carved in relief and painted red, both of which are surrounded by white, geometric motifs.  
Bembe (Bembe (Kongo))
Mask
1925 – 1935
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
2005/1.194

Bembe (Bembe (Kongo))
Ancestral Shrine Figure (Female)
1935 – 1945
Gift of Avery Z. Eliscu
1981/2.142
Cloth figure of a human, bound around human remains. The figure is in a seated position with arms outstretched. The torso and neck are cylindrical and elongated.
Bembe (Bembe (Kongo))
Reliquary figure (muzidi)
1885 – 1895
Anonymous Gift
1985/1.187
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