ETHAF 044279

statuette de reliquaire "byeri"

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044279
Reliquary bust byeri
Gabon, Woleu-Ntem
Fang Ntumu. 19th century
Wood, brass, iron, dark patina
Gift of the painter Émile Chambon in 1986; former François Coppier collection
MEG Inv. ETHAF 044279
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Séparée de la boite d’écorce cylindrique sur laquelle elle était à l’origine fixée, cette statuette gardienne de reliquaire byeri ne veille plus, depuis plus d’un siècle, sur les calottes crâniennes des ancêtres d’un lignage fang.
Son buste élancé à la musculature délicate se prolonge d’un cou puissant supportant la tête au visage en cœur sous un front bombé. Cette silhouette rappelle le canon longiforme propre au volume de la statuaire ntumu, loin des allures trapues du style fang méridional.

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Inventaire original MEG. Registres tapuscrits, volumes 19 à 59
Registres_tapuscrits/44279.pdf

 

The picturesque economy

The picturesque aspects of folklore and exoticism provide the features that distinguish Us from Others. In the late 19th century, the vogue for identities could be seen in Geneva’s antique shops and at the Swiss National Exhibition in 1896.

The "primitive art" market

A certain tradition of the so-called "primitive art" market held that art dealers and collectors "discovered" pieces of art that their makers were unable to appreciate. Aesthetic expertise was confiscated by the West and used to justify its domination of the rest of the world. Denying Others a sense of art is a form of ethnocentrism which has obvious economic advantages.

Oceania room in the Musée d’ethnographie in Mon-Repos in 1931. ©Archives MEG

Bibliograpy

  • Wastiau, Boris. 2008. Medusa en Afrique. La sculpture de l’enchantement. Genève : MEG ; Milan : 5 Continents Editions., 183, MEG ET AF 4614

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