DJILATENDO (c.1895–c.1950) AND CONGOLESE PAINTERS – BELGIAN CONGO – c. 1930–1950 An exceptional documentary collection of 23 positive glass plates intended for projection, devoted to the early Congolese painters and the mural painting traditions of the Belgian Congo. Collected in vintage Ilford “Special Lantern Plates” boxes, one of which bears the handwritten inscription ‘PEINTRES’ in red pencil. The collection comprises several old photographic reproductions of works by Tshyela Ntendu, also known as Tshela Tendu or Djilatendo, notably figurative and animal compositions. Some of the reproduced plates bear the artist’s name directly within the image, along with details of place and date, notably ‘Ibanshe, 1931’, corresponding to the period during which the artist worked under the patronage of Georges Thiry. The collection also includes documentary views of villages and paintings of huts, some captioned ‘Ekibondo Village (Uele)’ and ‘Mangbetu Village’, drawing a parallel between the works of the first Congolese ‘image-makers’ and mural painting traditions. This collection appears to have been compiled as an educational, documentary or lecture resource devoted to the ‘painters’ of the Belgian Congo. Its content bears significant similarities to the Tshyela Ntendu collection compiled in Ibanshe between 1929 and 1932 by Georges Thiry and Gaston-Denys Périer, a substantial part of which is now held at the Royal Library of Belgium. 23 glass plates. Collection preserved in its original Ilford boxes. TSHYELA NTENDU, also known as TSHELA TENDU /.