Antique African Yaka Diviner Janus Slit Gong Drum Mukoku Ngoombu

This is a fine antique African diviner's Janus slit gong drum (Mukoku-Ngoombu) from the Yaka people of the Democratic Republic of Congo/Angola, dating from the late 19th century or the first half of the 20th century. The drum features a finely carved, hollow cylindrical body with a slit on the front. At the top, there is a Janus head with a short neck, characterized by a large, pointed nose and prominent oval eyes. Two brass bells are attached to the neck with a twisted fiber cord. The wood features a fine, old, natural, glossy patina and is mounted on a custom-made square iron base.

MEASUREMENTS: High including base: 36cm (14.17 Inches).

PROVENANCE: From a private collection of tribal art in Canada.

A similar example was sold for €2,390 at Christie's Tribal Art auction in Amsterdam on September 12, 2002, lot number 238.

Link to the similar Yaka drum in The North Carolina Museum of Art:

https://ncartmuseum.org/?s=Yaka+drum

The market is flooded with reproductions of African art, which, for inexperienced collectors, look the same as authentic artifacts but do not have any historical or investment value. We would like to inform our clients that this is a 100% genuine Yaka Mukoku Ngoombu drum made to be used in Divine tribal ceremonies and is not a reproduction made for financial gains and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity to ascertain that the purchased item is a genuine artifact.