Wood carved guardian figure ("mbulu ngulu") with brass overlay created by the Kota people of Gabon to stand watch over ancestral relics. Measures 25" x 18" (at the widest point) and is in very good condition overall. There are two small instances of paint spatter on the front of the piece and cracking in the wood throughout (this may be inherent to the original construction however). From the carefully curated collection of a Pan Am flight attendant, in service between the years of 1954 and 1984. Her many travels took her through Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Keywords: Africa, woodworking, woodwork, carving, funerary art