Bleeding Bena Lulua Figure

This is a strange one.

This Bena Lulua Figure which is meant to be about 80 to 90 years old started releasing this stuff from the back of it's head. It looks like it had a really bad greasy hair day. The figure was purchased in Paris, France in the late 60's to early 70's. It lived in Texas for a while then went to live in New Orleans. (bloody humid there) Then it moved to Palm Springs (bloody dry there) about 1996 to 98. Its been sitting on a shelf since then. Till the other day I took it of the shelf. And thats when I sore this stuff. What do you think?
Gavin

Hello Gavin:
Hazarding a guess...
It appears as though moving this piece from an environment of high relative humidity to low relative humidity has caused deliquescent oils to come to the surface through capillary action. In the dry air at the surface, the oils have coalesced. From the look of dark patination, and the waxy-looking globules, my guess is palm oil. I don't know about the Bena Lulua, but besides for ritualistic purposes, many peoples apply palm oil to wooden carvings as a preservative - especially from termites. Palm oil is also used for the visual effect of the piece shining in a dim setting.

Cheers!

Hi Mary

Is that also the explanation for the oily patination on many Fang bieri figures?

Regards

Steve Price

Dear Mr. Alcott,

authentic Bene-Luliwa figures are really hard to find. And even in the 60´s there wer objects that were made for the trade on the market. I think the patina of your piece looks quite good, but i do not agree with the age.

Best regards

David Zemanek

Steve:
In my opinion, yes.
My understanding of the use of Fang bieri is that they were kept in storage "boxes" only taken out to be placed as guardians in front of a receptical containing ancestoral skulls. It is my understanding that besides for physical preservation purposes, the application of palm oil was meant to maintain strength of their powers with the ancestors.
Sometimes oiled pieces (not only Fang) produce a "bloom" or patch of foggy appearance where the oil has reacted to a change in relative humidity.
Regards,
Mary

Thanks for the input everyone.

For those who wish to have more history on this piece.

The Bena Lulua Figure was purchased in auction in 1962 in France by Francois Lucet. (I know I said late 60's early 70's but Francois just told me it was 1962) It belonged to the collector Henri Kamer who was the President of the International Arts Experts Association back in the 1970's. Henri Kamer had the Bena Lulua Figure for about 30 years.

Henri Kamer rote a paper called The Authenticity of African Sculptures back in 1974. Its in French and English.

You can all download from here if you wish to have a copy. http://homepage.mac.com/gavin33/FileSharing3.html its called AFRICAINES.pdf

I scanned it and made it a pdf file, but its a large file 8.1MB. When every I get hold of one of those text reader programs from scanning, then I hope to make the file a lot smaller.

All the best.
Gavin Alcott

Hi all.

I'm just giving a update on the The Authenticity of African Sculptures pdf file. Its only 1.2MB download and no longer 8.1MB. The file is only in English, not French as well. As the last one was.

Here's the new link

http://homepage.mac.com/gavin33/FileSharing4.html

All the best
Gavin

Hi Gavin

What a wonderful article! I would love to have it on our server and linked for the convenience of our readers (this thread will probably be archived eventually, but the link to the article will not be very prominent, since it is within the thread). Would you permit me to do this?

Many thanks,

Steve Price

Hey Steve

Glad you liked the article. You can do what you wish with it.

Thanks, Gavin