| Lega iginga figures Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Examples and information below for reference purposes These objects are not in my collection |
| Sotheby's, Nov 11, 2005 - LOT 110 PROPERTY FROM A EUROPEAN COLLECTION A FINE LEGA FEMALE FIGURE estimate 18,000—22,000 USD MEASUREMENTS height 8in. 20.5cm DESCRIPTION the angular legs tapering to the torso with protruding navel and breasts framed by truncated arms, the sloping shoulders supporting the head with scooped, heart-shaped facial plane, notched mouth and coffee-bean eyes; varied medium brown patina with areas of kaolin. CATALOGUE NOTE Lega wooden figures are rare and served as part of the contents of a basket used during initiation ceremonies. As Biebuyck (2002: 119) describes, '...the essential presentation takes place during the kunanuna masengo rite in lutumbo lwa kindi. The figurines are removed from the baskets together with numerous other manufactured and natural objects, and they are displayed. One by one, sometimes several in a single sequence, the sculptures are picked up by the presentors and danced wiith. For a long time these important figurines were barely represented in world collections. They were jealously kept by the initiates as expressions of their in-group spirit, as major links with the deceased predecessors and as a profound expression of ultimate values and historical interdependencies. Several of these larger wooden figurines represent in their morphology a sort of prototypical icon where form, action and meaning conicide to some extent.' |
| Sotheby's, Nov 11, 2005 - LOT 113 A LEGA FEMALE FIGURE estimate 5,000—8,000 USD MEASUREMENTS height 11 5/8 in. 29.5cm DESCRIPTION iginga, standing on wedge-shaped feet, the angular legs leading to the waisted torso framed by truncated arms beneath the spherical head with a heart-shaped facial plane; varied redish to medium brown patina. PROVENANCE James Willis, San Francisco, April 1978 LITERATURE AND REFERENCES Bradley, Traditional African Sculpture from the Britt Family Collection, 1982: 9, figure 6, catalogue of the exhibition, Notre Dame, Indiana, The Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, October 24 - December 19, 1982 CATALOGUE NOTE See Biebuyck (1973: 160-161 and plates 67-71) for related figures. Figures created for the Lega bwami men's society illustrate characters with either good or poor moral values. Bradley (1982: 9) suggests that the Britt figure with her fine scarification, carefully rounded head and drawn-out lower jaw portrays a 'good' woman with positive traits. |
| CLICK HERE to go to my Lengola figures page The Lengola are a group of people that lived in close proximity to the Lega and share similar aesthetic qualities in their carvings and masks. |
| Art of the Lega is a fantastic reference book on the Lega |
| Rand African Art home page Lega main page |
| I currently do not have any Lega objects in my collection. The objects on this page are not mine and are for reference purposes only. |