Fang Figure

Fang figures of this kind belonged to the byeri reliquary tradition, in which carved wooden sculptures were placed on top of bark containers holding the bones of important ancestors. The figure's role was protective rather than decorative, acting as a guardian of the remains and a focal point for the family's continued relationship with those who had passed. Carvers in this tradition worked toward a sense of balance and contained power in the body, which is why standing figures like this one read as alert and composed rather than active. This piece has an established European provenance, passing through Ralph Nash in London, a private collection in Germany, and Pierre Dartevelle in Brussels, with documentation at Christie's London in 1979.