Anthropomorphic Bellows
Fang
- Savvy Price $1,900.00
- Gallery Price $2,500.00
- Title
- Anthropomorphic Bellows
- Artist
- Fang
- Medium
- Wood, braided fiber
- Size
- 39" height X 15 1/2" width X 9" depth (bellows), 1 1/2" height X 17 1/2" width X 14 1/4" depth (base)
- Date of creation
- Likely early 20th century
- Condition
- Good. Black painted base has areas of wear.
- Provenance
- CC
- About The Anthropomorphic Bellows
"African Fang bellows are carved wooden tools used by the Fang people of Gabon and surrounding regions to provide forced air for blacksmithing, combining essential technology with high-level artistry, often featuring symbolic human or animals forms to imbue them with spiritual power for the forge.
These functional artifacts serve as important examples of African utilitarian art, demonstrating the cultural significance placed on ironworking, a process sometimes seen as sacred." cited on the internet having googled "Fang bellows"
- About Fang
- "The Fang are a major Bantu ethnic group in Central Africa, forming the largest group in northern Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and southern Cameroon, known for their rich artistic traditions, especially ancestral reliquary figures (Bieri), and distinct cultural practices centered on ancestor worship, spiritual societies (like Ngil), and a unique Bantu language, making them a dominant cultural force in the region" Google definition
- Cultures
- Medium
- Subject
- Keywords