Of all the groups referred to as Kota, the Ndassa pushed the boundaries of sculptural virtuosity the furthest, creating masterful juxtapositions of different metals in a visual language that is taut, energetic, and profoundly realistic. The piercing eyes, naturalistic nose with fleshy nostrils, swollen cheeks, well-marked philtrum, open mouth, and naturalistic proportions all give the face a portrait-like quality. According to Louis Perrois, such an open mouth with sharp teeth references the importance of the owumu or ‘life-force’ in Ndassa beliefs (cf. “Kota”, 2012, pp. 36-37). Indeed, this exceptional masculine sculpture has a powerful and commanding presence. The eye orbits are set back from the forehead and the almond-shaped eyes, formed in a pinched relief with iron staples as pupils, intensify its hypnotic gaze.

Typically Ndassa, the use of multi-colored metals creates stark visual contrasts between the reddish copper, yellow brass, and grey-black iron. In full command of his skills as a blacksmith, the sculptor has adorned the broad convex forehead with three wide metal bands, the side of each decorated by repoussé dotted lines punched from the inside - a unique feature. Additionally, the round face features a series of iron bands around the supraorbital ridges and, obliquely, to the cheeks. These iron strips equally add a chromatic effect, contrasting with the gilded background of the brass plates. In his description of a similar Ndassa figure formerly in the collection of Viviane Jutheau (Sotheby’s, Paris, 14 December 2016, lot 17), Frédéric Cloth writes that such diagonal “tears” of iron could represent what the Teke neighbours of the Ndassa call mbandjuala: “Teke legend tells of the story of a village surrounded by thorny bushes. As they entered and left the village, its inhabitants would constantly scratch their faces, which, leaving scars, became an identifying mark”. Thus, according to Cloth, such scarification lines or “tears” once identified and united a community as a marker of shared origin. The open diamond base has elegantly arched upper segments under the neck, which is ornamented with a brass plate finely decorated with a cross-brace pattern. Both the large transverse crest and the rounded lateral panels are left undecorated; its large plates of copper indicative of the wealth and importance of the family who commissioned the sculpture. Refined trapezoidal pendants representing ears dangle from the base of the side elements. On the reverse, with a patinated surface eroded by time, there is a symbolic diamond motif sculpted in relief, most likely referring to the female vulva as a symbol of fertility.

The Ndassa live in eastern Gabon and northwestern Republic of the Congo. As can be seen from the photographs taken by Swedish missionaries in the 1930s, the reliquary figures of this type come from the Congolese part, especially the region around Mossendjo, the epicenter of the missionary activities of Swedish evangelists before the Second World War. They were created in the mid to late 19th century by a group of artists who must have been in close contact with each other given the strong resemblance between the documented works originating from this small region. The realism of the facial features, the relative proportions of the facial features, and the chromatic play between the different materials are all hallmarks of the style.

The extraordinary character of this type of Ndassa statue within the corpus of “Kota” figures has not gone unnoticed, with nearly all known examples held in major private or public collections. The present example spent more than half a century in the New York home of Amy and Elliot Lawrence, who together built a world-class collection of art ranging from African, Japanese, Pacific, Northwest Coast, Inuit and Modern art. Elliot Lawrence was a famous bandleader in the late 1940s and 1950s, who went on to have a legendary career as a music director in movies and television. When considering art, Amy Lawrence preferred gracious lines and a sense of interiority, whereas Elliot had a passion for expression and bold volumes – so one can easily understand why this famous musician loved this “Kota” so much. In 1966, a few years after the Lawrences acquired the statue, a picture of it was used on the invitation card for the exhibition preview of “The Sculpture of Primitive Peoples” at the Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg. In 1984 it was chosen to grace the front cover of the exhibition catalog “Red Gold: Copper Arts of Africa” held at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.