Dominique van den Bossche (1854-1906)
'Fille Sanco, 1905'

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H. 30 cm

 
Depicted is her head with a striking hairstyle, decorated with jewellery that seems to continue over her face. She wears a necklace but is furthermore nude. Dominique van den Bossche (1854-1906), alias Domien van den Bossche, was a sculpturist from Ghent who worked mainly in terracotta. The woman depicted is probably a woman from a Congolese tribe, a colony of Belgium. From 1885 until 1908, Congo was (brutally) ruled by Belgium's king Leopold II. Many artists went to Africa funded by the government to depict its people, making the continent more approachable to investors.