One of these pieces has a history of collection. It was given in 1902 or 1903 to an explorer by the chief of a village on the Luvua river in Congo.
The only male figure in this set is a statuette 42 cm high, sold for $ 3.6 million including premium by Sotheby's on May 15, 2015. Although this specific artwork has no functional use, I noted that the geometric regularity and the beauty of shapes was guided by the utilitarian role of other artefacts created by the same hand.
On July 9 in London, Christie's sells one of the four bow stands, lot 110 estimated £ 1.5M.
The female figure with pointed breasts has a striking resemblance with the male statuette discussed above with regard to the attitude, the proportions in the body, the shape of the head and the facial lines. Perched on a small pedestal, she wears on her head a carved trident that can hold the bows. The total height of this piece is 64 cm.