Reliquary Guardian Figure (Mbulu Ngulu or Mbulu Viti), 19th century. Unknown artist (Gabon, Kota peoples). Wood, copper, copper alloy, and iron. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund.
This double-sided, dual-faced figure once guarded a bark or raffia reliquary containing the skulls and bones of revered ancestors. As sacred relics, ancestral skeletal remains were consulted for aid and advice prior to any major family or community undertaking. The reliquary guardian figure's wooden core was covered with copper or copper-alloy, investing it with a shiny "whiteness" believed to enhance its clairvoyance and powers of protection from malevolent forces. In its two faces, this figure displays both an abstracted, concave style and a more organic, naturalistic approach.
