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It is interesting to note that in most cases the magical figures of the Teke
were not based on formal creations but, albeit with different stylistic
characteristics, were connected to the morphology, facial scarifications and
customary hairstyles of the Teke population.
The emblematic pictures below are testimony to the aforementioned aspects.
REPERTOIRE
All the works shown here belong to private Italian collections.
In terms of quality, some pieces depict their sculptor’s remarkable skill in
the carving of the statue, whereas others are of particular interest given
the magical-religious values they possess.
The dating is not certain, and although we can inductively
estimate some sculptures as having been carved in the late 1800s, most of
them were produced prior to the 1960s.
Our selection process, however, strictly adheres to the
essential requirement of authenticity.
The objects have been divided into three sections:
I. Consecrated Magical Figures, with Bonga still intact.
II. Deconsecrated Figures, therefore devoid of magical
substances.
III. Figures both consecrated or deconsecrated, the result of
inter-mingling between the Teke and the Bemba, Bwende and Lari peoples.
I. Consecrated Magical Figures
II. Deconsecrated Magical Figures
III. Both Consecrated or Deconsecrated Magical Figures
BIBLIOGRAPHY (incomplete)
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Carini Vittorio. A Hidden Heritage. Sculture africane in collezioni
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DupréMarie-Claude et Féau Etienne.
Batéké.
Peintres et sculpteurs d’Afrique Centrale, Paris, Réunion
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Galleria Dalton- Somaré. Estetica Africana. Esempi di stili. Milano,
Dalton- Somaré, 2006
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Lehuard Raoul. Statuaire du Stanley-Pool, Villiers-le-Bel,
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Vera
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Francfort, De Bry, 1598.
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