GABON, FANG, Figure guarding a reliquary or the top of a harp used during initiation ceremonies in the Ngil society. It features a Janus with two faces showing different expressions, delineated by incised lines symbolically forming a heart-shaped space. This sculpture probably evokes a passage through the ranks, and each face can be likened to the famous Ngil masks, worn by influential members of the initiation society during ceremonies designed to designate those responsible for evil deeds against the clan and punish them for their actions. Soft wood, pigments, white and red ochre, old brown patina on the headdress, incised pyrographed motifs, marks of use and insertion in a bag containing sacred relics or the sounding board of a sacred harp. Fang, Gabon, late 19th or early 20th century. H. 47 cm - L. 20 cm Reference: Expert : Serge Reynes Note : Serge Reynes Expert: Serge Reynes