GABONESE AMBETE MBEBE RELIQUARY FIGURES This pair of Ambete (Mbebe) reliquary figures from Gabon serves as a profound example of Central African funerary art, designed to safeguard and honor the remains of ancestors. Carved from wood and coated in a thick, crusty layer of pale kaolin pigment, these statues represent a male and female pair, each featuring the characteristic elongated, cylindrical torso that historically contained a hollow dorsal cavity for storing skeletal fragments. Their faces are rendered in a distinctively stylized manner, with large, triangular planes, small circular eyes, and a dark, crested coiffure that matches the dark-stained finish of their lower limbs. The figures are further personalized with ritual adornments, such as the cowrie shell necklace on the female figure, symbolizing wealth and fertility, and the dark geometric motifs incised upon their abdomens. Within the Ambete community, these reliquaries were more than mere sculpture; they were active spiritual guardians intended to facilitate communication with the deceased and ensure the continued protection and prosperity of the lineage. Height: 24.5 inches $200-300
