A Mangbetu elephant-head sculpture from the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, hand-modelled in burnished terracotta with a deep, near-obsidian patina.
Across Central Africa the elephant stands for the king or chief — the pillar of the community, strong and enduring. Here the form is pared back to sweeping, almost architectural curves, the trunk and fan-like ears finely incised against the smooth, polished head.
