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Songye/Lulua Stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo image 1
Songye/Lulua Stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo image 2
Songye/Lulua Stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo image 3
Songye/Lulua Stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo image 4
The Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection
Lot 37

Songye/Lulua Stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo

11 May 2021, 11:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$44,062.50 inc. premium

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Songye/Lulua Stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wood, kaolin highlights
height 13 1/8in (33.5cm)

Provenance
Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Abrams Collection, Greenwich, Connecticut
Bonhams, New York, 15 May 2008, Lot 752
Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, Washington, D.C.

Published
Robbins, Warren and Nancy Nooter, African Art in American Collections, Smithsonian Institution, 2004, fig. 1108
African Heritage Archives no. 0042076

This magnificent stool, skillfully carved from one piece of wood, is an instance of extreme sculptural creativity by an artist. The proximity of the Songye and Lulua cultures possibly explain the infusion of the two styles with Songye facial features and Lulua body composition often seen in pipes, mortars and crouching figures. The profound visual tension of the figure's expression is juxtaposed with the fragility and playfulness of the openwork spine with the arms, legs and spine playfully curving and bending, creating a composition of positive and negative space; dark brown reflective patina with kaolin highlights to face.

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