Fang Byeri Reliquary Statue of a Female, Early 20th Century CE
Wood
height 67.3 cm
height 26 1/2 in
height 26 1/2 in
LI.3211
Today, the Fang ancestor statuary rightfully occupies a special place of honour in the field of African Art and indeed of all of world sculpture. The superb structural quality of...
Today, the Fang ancestor statuary rightfully occupies a special place of honour in the field of African Art and indeed of all of world sculpture. The superb structural quality of this unpretentious figure affords an insight into the ancestral occult of the Fang people. Scattered in modern-day Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, the Fang tribe derive a sense of continuity with their predecessors through the ancestral practice known as Byeri. Endowed with magical properties, this Byeri statue was once part of a ritual ensemble which included a reliquary vessel made of bark containing the skulls of dynastic ancestors.
The synchronic function of the Byeri figure: as the guardian of the spirits of the deceased as well as the protector from black magic (voodoo) commanded itself a forceful presence in the ritualistic quotidian of the Fang people. To the Fang, this female figure embodied the ability to govern and balance the conflicting forces of the dead, as evident in the static symmetrical pose and unmoving expression of the statue.
The Byeri sculpture's passivity, however, appears counterbalanced by its intricacies: its bulging bust and scarifications on its torso, echo the controlled exuberance of this spirit guardian. The head is defined by its concave form, exquisitely carved and a matrix of geometric masses. By virtue of its extremely refined and sculptural quality and deep accumulated patina and wear from ritual use, this fine vestige of African art dates from the 19th Century.
The Fang are perhaps the best-known tribal group in Africa in terms of visual arts. Their current territory is Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, although they are known to have migrated to these areas over the past few centuries from their original heartland in the northeast. Their general métier is that of warriors, which explains the somewhat martial and fierce appearance of their figural works. Their success at conquest means that they are spread over a very wide area, and they also intermarried with local tribes such as the Betsi, the Ntumu and the Ngumba, giving rise to yet further diversity of art styles. They are connected by similar belief systems, especially including a heavy reliance upon ancestor worship to validate their actions and protect them from evil; this preoccupation has transferred itself to their material culture.
The synchronic function of the Byeri figure: as the guardian of the spirits of the deceased as well as the protector from black magic (voodoo) commanded itself a forceful presence in the ritualistic quotidian of the Fang people. To the Fang, this female figure embodied the ability to govern and balance the conflicting forces of the dead, as evident in the static symmetrical pose and unmoving expression of the statue.
The Byeri sculpture's passivity, however, appears counterbalanced by its intricacies: its bulging bust and scarifications on its torso, echo the controlled exuberance of this spirit guardian. The head is defined by its concave form, exquisitely carved and a matrix of geometric masses. By virtue of its extremely refined and sculptural quality and deep accumulated patina and wear from ritual use, this fine vestige of African art dates from the 19th Century.
The Fang are perhaps the best-known tribal group in Africa in terms of visual arts. Their current territory is Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, although they are known to have migrated to these areas over the past few centuries from their original heartland in the northeast. Their general métier is that of warriors, which explains the somewhat martial and fierce appearance of their figural works. Their success at conquest means that they are spread over a very wide area, and they also intermarried with local tribes such as the Betsi, the Ntumu and the Ngumba, giving rise to yet further diversity of art styles. They are connected by similar belief systems, especially including a heavy reliance upon ancestor worship to validate their actions and protect them from evil; this preoccupation has transferred itself to their material culture.