A beautiful, ancient Buti statuette in a powerful, sophisticated style, part of a rare corpus. Representing an ancestral figure who, according to (the late and eminent Téké specialist) Raoul Lehuard, was not supposed to carry a magical Bilongo charge, seven sculptures have been identified by the same hand (or workshop). Ours, finely sculpted, particularly rhythmic and expressive, is in a different position with its arms raised behind its head than the one in the Dapper collection (and also regretted former museum), which is in a position with its arms folded over its torso, and which also appears in the same way never to have had any magical substances added to it. The apparent androgyny of these two superb and undoubtedly ancient sculptures is perhaps the key to understanding this enigmatic corpus. Téké, Democratic Republic of Congo Wood, apparent wear and small cracks and erosion from age (openings in the wood), lustrous patina possibly varnished, otherwise beautiful old patina from use H. Height : 34 cm Provenance : Loed van Bussel, The Hague Cornelis Pieter Meulendijk Collection, Rotterdam Transmitted by descent Michel Gaud Collection, Saint-Tropez Collection Hilde and Dieter Scharf, Hamburg, acquired 1993 Publications and exhibitions: Land, Afrikaanse Sculpturen, uit de collectie van X.P. Meulendijk, 1967, n° 28/01, Rotterdam, Museum voor Land en Volkenkunde, 1967-1968 Wassing, African Art: Its Background and Traditions, 1968, p. 244, no. 42 Wassing, African Art: Its Background and Traditions / L'art de l'Afrique Noire / Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, 1969, p. 252, no. 42 Lehuard, Les arts Bateke, Congo-Gabon-Zaïre, 1996, p. 316, n° 52.1.1 Heymer and Thompson, Sehen lernen. Eine Sammlung afrikanischer Figuren, 1999, p. 114-115, no. 46 Rochard, Figuren Afrikas. Meisterwerke einer Privatsammlung, 2002, p. 126, no. 47, Ingelheim, Altes Rathaus, April 28 - July 7, 2002