Mangbetu Standing Male Figure

A tall crown of hair, and not a line out of place.

This standing male figure is Mangbetu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. Mangbetu carvers made figures like this for chiefs and their courts, as prestige objects rather than, as far as is known, for worship. The tall head and high hairstyle reflect a look long prized among the Mangbetu. Fine parallel lines comb the tall head above nearly closed eyes. Incised lines divide the torso and limbs into sections, a little like a tailor's pattern. The arms hang straight, and the feet are blocky. Forty-three inches high.

He has the composure of someone well measured.