{"product_id":"ambete-harp-body-gabon-rohner-collection-157325","title":"Ambete Harp Body Gabon Rohner Collection","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Ambete, also known as Mbete, Mbede, Mbete and Mbeti, are an ethnic group residing in the Republic of Congo near the northern frontier of Gabon and northern Gabon itself. Due to the migratory nature of the people in this region, it is challenging to trace the precise history of the Mbete culture. However, certain aspects of their life are relatively well-known from an ethnological and sociological perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Ambete do not have a centralized political organization and instead practice ancestor worship as a significant part of their religious beliefs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Ambete are renowned for their carved sculptures, which come in three main types: heads, busts, and full figures. The full figures are believed to be associated with ancestor worship and served either as reliquaries or were placed alongside ancestral bones in baskets. The heads and busts were likely mounted on poles and displayed in front of the chief's house, possibly serving apotropaic (warding off evil) and emblematic purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance: John R. Rohner Collection\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eRohner, a muse\u003cimg\u003eum curator for decades, aimed his practiced eye for authenticity to African art beginning in the early 1908s. His passion for this art only grew through the decades he built his collection––always with an aim for a broad and representative array of pieces. The collection appears in his book, \u003ci\u003eArt Treasures from African Runners\u003c\/i\u003e (2000, University Press of Colorado). \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem #192 on pg. 123\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"Polaris-Box\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_ActivatorWrapper_36nu6_55\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"PRODUCT.metafields.custom.height_in_-anchor\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_ActivatorButton_36nu6_59\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_RowWrapper_36nu6_4\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_FormFieldLabel_36nu6_30\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Polaris-Text--root Polaris-Text--bodyMd\"\u003eHeight (In): 14.0\u003cbr\u003eWidth (In): 3.0\u003cbr\u003eDepth (In): 3.25\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-sheets-root=\"1\"\u003e157325\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"sku 157000","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52176517169447,"sku":"157325","price":180.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0826\/1015\/9911\/files\/IMG_2065_5eddf3f0-522f-47de-867b-b8b6032bb17c.jpg?v=1790364168","url":"https:\/\/africadirect.com\/products\/ambete-harp-body-gabon-rohner-collection-157325","provider":"Africa Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}