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Lot 234
Group of Five Yaka Combs, Democratic Republic of the Congo
11 November 2019, 15:00 EST
New YorkUS$12,000 - US$15,000
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Group of Five Yaka Combs, Democratic Republic of the Congo
yisanunu
heights 6 - 8 1/4in (15 - 21cm)
Provenance
Stephen Chauvet, Paris
Charles Ratton, Paris
Marc and Denyse Ginzberg Collection, New York
Lance and Roberta Entwistle, London and Paris
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1992
Published
Vogel, Susan, ed., Perspectives: Angles on Africa, The Museum of African Art, New York, 1987, p. 108
Exhibited
Perspectives: Angles on African Art
The Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, 21 February - 26 April, 1987
The Center for African Art, New York, 18 September 1987 - 3 January 1988
The Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, 31 January - 27 March 1988
Kristen Windmuller-Luna notes, "Combs such as this example were worn by northern Yaka dignitaries as hair ornaments prior to 1930. Many were made in the area of Popokaba, but as they were traded extensively, some were collected as far as the court of the kyambvu at Kasongo Lunda. While the Yaka are matrilineal, their leadership is patrilineal: it is arranged through a strict hierarchy of paramount, regional, and village chiefs, as well as ritual specialists and diviners. Correspondingly, the art of the Yaka is also hierarchical, with much of it reserved for specific religious or chiefly users. The iconography of these combs reinforces the societal role of their wearers through the depiction of the multitude of coiffures and headgear used to distinguish Yaka dignitaries (see also 2011.11.2–.7). Certain historical headgear and hairstyles were depicted on these combs, even though those styles were frequently updated. Carvers likely elected to represent these historic fashions to suggest a link between the wearer and revered individuals of earlier generations. While little is known about the function of these combs, Arthur Bourgeois has suggested that they implied the power of their male wearer. (Kakungu among the Yaka and Suku, African Arts 14, no. 1, 1980, 46)." (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, WEB, 2016)
heights 6 - 8 1/4in (15 - 21cm)
Provenance
Stephen Chauvet, Paris
Charles Ratton, Paris
Marc and Denyse Ginzberg Collection, New York
Lance and Roberta Entwistle, London and Paris
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1992
Published
Vogel, Susan, ed., Perspectives: Angles on Africa, The Museum of African Art, New York, 1987, p. 108
Exhibited
Perspectives: Angles on African Art
The Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, 21 February - 26 April, 1987
The Center for African Art, New York, 18 September 1987 - 3 January 1988
The Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, 31 January - 27 March 1988
Kristen Windmuller-Luna notes, "Combs such as this example were worn by northern Yaka dignitaries as hair ornaments prior to 1930. Many were made in the area of Popokaba, but as they were traded extensively, some were collected as far as the court of the kyambvu at Kasongo Lunda. While the Yaka are matrilineal, their leadership is patrilineal: it is arranged through a strict hierarchy of paramount, regional, and village chiefs, as well as ritual specialists and diviners. Correspondingly, the art of the Yaka is also hierarchical, with much of it reserved for specific religious or chiefly users. The iconography of these combs reinforces the societal role of their wearers through the depiction of the multitude of coiffures and headgear used to distinguish Yaka dignitaries (see also 2011.11.2–.7). Certain historical headgear and hairstyles were depicted on these combs, even though those styles were frequently updated. Carvers likely elected to represent these historic fashions to suggest a link between the wearer and revered individuals of earlier generations. While little is known about the function of these combs, Arthur Bourgeois has suggested that they implied the power of their male wearer. (Kakungu among the Yaka and Suku, African Arts 14, no. 1, 1980, 46)." (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, WEB, 2016)
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