A miniature kalibangoma piquet sculpture, a bust representation surmounted by a very beautiful head, with a face, slit eyes and mouth sculpted in a concave heart shape, very expressive. Kalibangoma are protectors, belonging in some regions to lower-level kindi (kantamba, Kyogo, Musage wa kindi) and in other regions to kanyamwa women or kalonda women (a grade complementary to the yananio grade for men). Particularly noteworthy are the beautiful figuration of the spine and the numerous "circle-stitches" called kapiga, characteristic of Lega art, which were made with a special knife called a kene. See: on small kalibangoma, p. 174 in Ethique et Beauté Lega, Biebuyck, 2002. Lega, Democratic Republic of Congo Ivory Ivory, beautiful old patina. H. 11 cm Provenance : Charles Ratton Collection, Paris Jacques Vecht Collection, Amsterdam Mamadou Keita, Amsterdam Pierre Dartevelle, Amsterdam Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels Publications and exhibitions: Aguttes, Paris, April 25, 2008, no. 94 La Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot, 2008 : #11, March 21, 2008, p. 91