The Kongo Culture (The Seated Man)

This author of the Kongo has caught a great deal of expression  in the figures features.  There is clear glass over the eyes gives them depth and lifelike characteristics while the mouth was a reflection of sadness. His posture is called funda nkata.  It reflects the control necessary for responsibility and leadership.  In the Kongo culture its believed the resting head and hand is an indication of mourning for those left behind.  Grave sites in the Kongo represented the threshold  between the worlds of the living and the dead.  This seated figure would have been in shines that kept wooden sculptures and personal items belonging to the deceased.