Fang reliquary figures

Описание: A Fang reliquary figure (known as eyema bieri or nlo bieri) is a wooden sculpture created by the Fang people of Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. These figures served as spiritual guardians for cylindrical bark boxes (byeri) containing the ancestral bones of important lineage members.

Key Characteristics
Purpose: They were not portraits of the deceased but functioned as protective talismans to ward off evil and

Aesthetic Style: Characterized by infant-like features (large head, high forehead, protruding navel) combined with an adult’s muscular body symbolizing the cycle of life and the continuity between the living and the dead.

Appearance: Most figures have a dark, glossy patina resulting from ritual anointings with palm oil and resins. They often feature a calm, passive face contrasted by tense, powerful limbs.

Cultural Context: They were essential to the fang people, who practiced ancestor veneration to ensure community prosperity. By the mid-20th century, the practice largely declined due to colonial pressure and the rise of the syncretic Bwiti religion.

Fang reliquary figures are highly regarded in the art world for their abstraction and geometric harmony. In the early 20th century, they significantly influenced European modernists such as Henri Matisse, André Derain, and Constantin Brancusi.
Today, major examples are held in institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the British Museum. #africanart #artlovers #goldmanadele #arthistory