Gabon. Wood. Pigment.

14"

Fang sculptural guardian statue thought to relate to the guardianship of ancestral relics. This one seems to have a strong presence, with its stylized and elongated body, bent legs and hands joining together to hold a fetish cup.

There is a small wood erosion on the sculpture's left toes (due perhaps to the aging process or to weatherization) that does not detract from the impressiveness of the statue. Old Africans would have welcomed the erosion as authentication of it having been used extensively.