Lot 83 Dα

This fine figure of a drummer would have been placed on an ancestral shrine, "nzo a bakulu". As early as 1686 Olfert Dapper reported that Kongo kings were interred surrounded by small wood and wax effigies representing those who had served them in life. These figures in light wood reflected the social status of the deceased.

The figure wears a prestige cap of woven fibre, "mpu". For similar caps see Lagamma, A., "Kongo: Power and Majesty", New York, 2015, p.66-69, figs.31-36