Female Figure

Eyema Byeri

Antique Reliquary Guardian

Fang Peoples

Gabon

Early 2oth Century

Collected by naturalist and philanthropist Eli Weiss in the 1980’s.

27" tall x 5" wide x 8" deep 

Mounted to steel Stand

Figure rests at gentle angle - as photographed.

An authentic and extraordinary Eyema Byeri Fang Reliquary Guardian Figure.

history of the form from the Metropolitan Museum of Art :

  "The Fang peoples historically derived a sense of continuity with their past and communal cohesiveness in the present through an ancestral cult known as bieri. Over three centuries, a southwesterly migration into present-day southern Cameroon and northern Gabon occurred village by village, resulting in the loosely structured fluid nature of Fang society today. During its travels, each Fang family brought a bark box containing the skulls of its ancestors. A carved head or figure mounted on top of each reliquary box guarded the sacred contents against the forbidden gaze of women and uninitiated boys.  Bieri figures exemplify the qualities the Fang admire in people--tranquillity, vitality, and the ability to hold opposites in balance. These ideals are shown in the balanced forms of the figures. 

This formidable female figure personifies controlled exuberance. Despite her contemplative expression, her being exudes vitality and boundless physical dynamism.