Fang Carved Wood Broom or Whisk with Metal Eyes, Cowries, and Cloth

Central Africa, Fang. A hand broom, or perhaps a whisk, whose wooden handle ends in a carved human head with metal inlaid eyes. The face follows the Fang ideal: a high, domed forehead, a long wedge of a nose, and full lips pushed forward in a pout. Behind it rises a broad, flat crest that recalls the helmet-like coiffures of Fang reliquary heads. The wood is a warm, polished brown, and its grain sweeps across brow and cheek. Twisted cloth cord binds the neck and holds two cowrie shells. Below sits a ruff of faded red cloth strips and pale golden yarn. From this collar falls a long sheaf of stiff plant ribs, probably palm. Dealer information describes such brooms as tools for tending ritual altars, with the head likely referring to the ancestors. The Fang, once known to European writers as the "Pahouins", are a group of related peoples now living in southern Cameroon, mainland Equatorial Guinea, and northern Gabon. Oral history and colonial accounts describe them moving southward in successive waves between the 18th and early 20th centuries, village by village, into the forests between the Sanaga River in Cameroon and the Ogooué in Gabon. They have a reputation as formidable warriors and hunters. Fang sculpture centers on the byeri, the cult of the lineage ancestors. Each family kept a bark box holding the skulls and bones of honored forebears. The box was in the care of the esa, the family's eldest man, and was kept in a dark corner of the house as protection against harmful influences. On top sat a carved guardian, either a head or a seated figure with bent legs, a long torso, and hands drawn together in front, sometimes holding a small vessel. These guardians were taken out for young men's initiations and on feast days, when they were lifted from their boxes and carried through the village to honor the dead. Metal was often added to the figures, and its bright shine was said to drive off enemies. This handle uses that same visual vocabulary: the swelling forehead, the inward expression, the jutting mouth, the crested hairstyle, and the gleam of metal eyes. That makes it more than a household broom. If the dealer's account is right, the tool used to sweep the shrine carried a reminder of the ancestors the shrine served. The cowries add their own meaning. They were used as currency across much of Africa, and in Central Africa they were widely linked to wealth, fertility, and protection. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 205723

Estimate:$400

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