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Producer
Léon Louis Auguste Edouard Dardenne (°1865 - †1912)
Theme
village sceneries, dwelling/house, local authority
Legend
The Katanga chief posing under the veranda. Léon Dardenne expressed his view of him as follows: "(...) the sultan, successor to the old Katanga encountered during the first expeditions, is full of expansive gestures, very self-satisfied and richly adorned with a yellow material which turns orange from the red dust. With a blue loincloth which looks like a dress and a long cane in his hand, he has the air of one of those fat despots that ruled Rome, Asia and Egypt." (Family archives of the artist, notebook 2, 9.12.1899, p.131, a copy of which is in the RMCA). Léon Dardenne's comments on the chief are typical of Europeans at that time. The link between local societies and classical antiquity was also typical of those Europeans who knew nothing of the local cultures in which they attempted to immerse themselves.
Inscription
Le chef Katanga Dec 99 Dardenne Léon
Date of acquisition
1911
Dimensions
30 cm x 24 cm
Technique
graphic arts > painting > aquarelle
Inventory number
HO.0.1.191
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