A superb and very old chief's oliphant, an object of power and pageantry, surmounted at its end by a magnificent and terrible carved representation of a seated prisoner with one leg bent forward, severely fettered by a braided rope passing around his neck linking his crossed arms and hands tied behind his back. Deep wear and tear caused by numerous manipulations (testifying to its great age) have erased some of the sculpture's details, such as the restraining tie that passed over the wrists and the details of the face, but the crease of its mute mouth and its ringed, tired eyes have nevertheless survived, and have largely contributed to its great beauty. Kongo, Democratic Republic of Congo Ivory Ivory, slight age cracks, beautiful old patina. H. 46.5 cm Provenance : Jacques Schotte Collection, Ghent Stefanus Grusenmeyer, Brussels Marcel de Toledo Collection, Antwerp Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels Publications and exhibitions : Grunne (de), Dreams of Beauty: African Sculptures from the Blanpain Collection, 2005, no. 53, Luxembourg, Banque Générale du Luxembourg, , October 25 - December 2, 2005 Martinez-Jacquet and Geoffroy-Schneiter, Regards de Marchands: La Passion des Arts Premiers, Paris, 2009, p. 33, Paris, Monnaie de Paris, September 9 - October 18, 2009 Félix, White Gold, Black Hands: Ivory Sculpture in Congo, Vol 1, 2010, p. 207, ref. 313 a/b/c Giquello, Paris, Collection Blanpain, December 6, 2024, no. 39