24th Jan, 2020 10:00
The Tribal Auction - The Private Collection of a Belgian Gentleman
Chibinda Ilunga
Chibinda Ilunga
Chokwe, Angola
with typical headdress, his hands together,
50cms high, 20cms wide, 17cms deep.
Note:
The origin story of the Chokwe people relates to an epic myth which links together two of the great kingdoms of pre-colonial Africa: the Lunda Empire and that of the neighbouring Luba.
The hero of this epic myth is the character of Chibinda Ilunga, a 16th century Luba prince and hunter who left the Luba homeland ruled by his father, Kalala Ilunga. Arriving in the Lunda region to the west, the hunter prince encountered a young princess named Lweji. Surrounded by her female attendants, Lweji invited Ilunga to join her; and charmed by his hunting prowess and courtly manners, fell in love. Of royal blood herself, Lweji had inherited the insignia of royal authority, a bracelet known as lukano, from her father, Konde, after the brothers of Lweji had displeased him. When Chibinda Ilunga and Lweji were married, their union became the foundation of the Mwata Yamvo dynasty, consolidating sacred royal authority over the region, which would rise to great power. Lweji's brothers, spurned by their father and excluded from the newly founded royal court, departed from the Lunda homeland in turn and set out to find new land. Settling in the Uchokwe region, they formed a connection to the Chokwe people living there, intermarrying and conveying their cultural practices. The resulting lineage therefore carried the memory of the story of Chibinda Ilunga and Lweji, and the Chokwe modelled themselves upon the character of Chibinda as a culture hero as they rose to fame as the greatest hunters of the region. Powerful chiefdoms emerged, along with aristocratic cultural practices and court art. An extraordinarily sophisticated sculptural tradition developed which is today one of the most highly celebrated African Art forms: highly refined sculptural masterworks which depict the royal characters of Lunda mythology, including Chibinda Ilunga, and his female counterparts.
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Auction: The Tribal Auction - The Private Collection of a Belgian Gentleman, 24th Jan, 2020
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