BaKongo Horn

ETHNIC GROUP
BaKongo

COUNTRY

Democratic Republic of Congo

MATERIAL
Ivory.

DIMENTIONS

17″ inches tall (43.2 cm)

CIRCA

PROVENANCE

Richard Scheiff Estate Collection
The items in the Richard Scheife Collection were field collected in the late 1970’s by Richard Schiefe, while working for Gulf Oil.  His work had him traveling to Kinshasa, Zaire and its surrounding areas for business during this time.

EXHIBITED
No known exhibitions

LITERATURE

No known publications

CATALOGUE NOTE

A prominent leader would have owned this horn. It was blown to announce his arrival at special events and state occasions. The deep red-orange color resulted from repeated applications of palm oil and years of handling.
Ivory transverse horn the tip of which is carved in the form of a kneeling figure. Beneath the figure on the concave side is a rectangular section that is pierced for the blow hole. The hole is diamond in shape, and set in a square section that juts out slightly from the tusk. The rest of the tusk constitutes about two-thirds of the total length. The widest part is decorated with a crocodile motif on either side. The horn has a glossy burnished orange patina as a result of repeated applications of palm oil and years of handling.