KOTA RELIQUARY FIGURE GABON Made of wood, copper and brass H.: 57 cm (22¹?? in.) A Kota reliquary figure, Gabon Provenance: Collection of Jean-Jacques Rotthier (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family  With its openwork, diamond-shaped body, oval head surmounted by a semi-circular crest, and the ‘dovetail’ motifs framing its face, this figure is a fine example of the Mbulu Ngulu aesthetic. Thin sheets of metal cover the side panels and the upper part of the sculpture, whilst the face is defined by a network of copper strips. Since their arrival in Europe at the end of the 19th century, these reliquary guardians have been among the most sought-after works of African art. The radical abstraction of the human form embodied by the Mbulu Ngulu held a profound fascination for the modernist artists working in Paris in the early 20th century. Both Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti owned significant reliquary figures in their personal collections. Juan Gris, a leading figure in Cubism and a close associate of Picasso, was so captivated by their geometry that in 1922 he created his own interpretation of a Mbulu Ngulu in cardboard. A KOTA RELIQUARY FIGURE GABON Wood, copper and brass H.: 22¹?? in. Provenance: Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent This highly stylised figure is characterised by an open lozenge-shaped body, an oval head, a semicircular crest, and curved lateral projections with dovetail motifs framing the face. Smooth sheets of metal cover the lateral elements and crest, whilst the face is divided into distinct quadrants by finely incised lines. Since their arrival in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century, these reliquary guardian figures have remained among the most sought-after works in the field of African art. The radical abstraction of the human form embodied in the Mbulu Ngulu deeply fascinated the modernist artists active in Paris during the early twentieth century. Both Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti owned large reliquary figures in their personal collections. Juan Gris, a leading Cubist painter and close friend of Picasso, was so captivated by their geometric forms that he created his own interpretation of an Mbulu Ngulu in brown cardboard in 1922.