A dark-brown painted sculpture with hints of orange showing through of a slim face with a long neck. The lips are drawn in a pout, the cheeks sunken, the hair pulled back in a swirl pattern and falling down in a slim column.

Head

Mid–late 19th century

Fang Gabon Central Africa

Gabon

The neck of this head was once partially inserted into the lid of a cylindrical bark container holding selected skull and skeletal remains of an honored ancestor. Stored in the corner of a man’s sleeping room, the sculpture and box protected the ancestor’s bones and kept his power within reach of his descendants. The copper-alloy inserts in the eyes reflect light in the dark, and would have startled any intruder while adding to the head’s aura.

Wood and copper

Arts of Africa

Essentials