Ancestral figure

This sculpture is a moving figure probably representing a specific ancestor of the lineage in the Lube kingdom that commisioned it. But it also illustrates the power and qualities of ancestors in general. Like the sculpture of Saint James, it reminded a community of its shared heritage. Both figures embodied virtues and offered models for viewers to emulate.  Buli style, also called the long-faced style of Buli, African wood sculpture made by the Luba peoples (Baluba) of Congo (Kinshasa). Because the carvings—which were made in the village of Buli (now in Katanga province)—are almost identical to each other and differ from other Luba carvings, they were originally presumed to have been the work of a single artist, called the Master of Buli. Later, it was determined that the sculptures constitute the production of a workshop rather than of one artist.