ZANDE

FIGURE

This compact figure is conceived in a reduced and angular formal language characteristic of the Ubangi region. The body is articulated through a clear schematization of volumes: a compact torso, sharply defined shoulders, and a head with a heart-shaped outline. The face is defined by round eyes formed from nail heads and an open mouth, creating a direct and concentrated expression.

A relatively rare feature lies in the serrated patterning that interacts rhythmically with the arrangement of copper nails. Together with the incised scarifications on the ridge of the nose, the arms, and the abdomen, this interplay gives the figure much of its visual tension and surface structure. The copper nails are arranged in linear sequences across the front and back — and at the navel. Some remain slightly raised and tactile, while others are worn down and nearly flush with the surface.

The last appearance of this figure was at Sotheby’s nearly twenty years ago and was marked by a distinctive curatorial gesture: Patrick Caput chose the silhouette of the sculpture as a recurring graphic element throughout the catalogue, placing it alongside the page numbers.

Zande, Ubangi region, DRC
Early 20th century
Wood, copper alloy, 23 cm
Provenance: Wilhelm Krohn, acquired in the 1970s

LAST MARKET APPEARANCE:
Sotheby’s 2007

PRICE ON REQUEST