The sketchbooks of the explorers
Title:
The sketchbooks of the explorers
Producer:
Edward James Glave (°1863 - †1895)
Theme:
physical violence
Legend:
Camille Coquilhat and Alphonse Vangèle witnessed a ritual execution in the Equatorial area before the creation of Congo Free State. This rite took place upon the death of a chief and involved the decapitation of slaves during the chief's funeral service. Alphonse Vangèle wrote about it in his archives. Coquilhat described the execution in his book "Sur le Haut-Congo" [On Upper Congo] (Paris, 1888) as did Edward James Glave (Six Years of Adventure in Congo Land, London, 1893). Edward James Glave was Charles Liebrechts' assistant in Bolobo. In his archives, Liebrechts kept a series of drawings which are copies of an album created by Glave in Lukolela. One of them shows a ritual execution. Charles Liebrechts sent these drawings to Camille Coquilhat who had them printed by the Lebègue publishing house in its publication "Sur le Haut-Congo". Glave's drawings also illustrate the work of Charles Liebrechts "Souvenirs d'Afrique". Congo. Leopoldville, Bolobo, Equatoria (1883-1889) published in Brussels in 1909. Edward James Glave illustrated part of his own involvement in the trip which appeared in London in 1893 (Six Years of Adventure in Congo Land, London, 1893). For Coquilhat's book, the artist Léon Abry created a rather sophisticated and more dramatic depiction of the execution while graphic artist C. Declerck remained closer to Glave's original drawing.
Inscription:
Bayanzi Execution
Congo 1885
Dimensions:
19 cm x 27 cm
Technique:
graphic arts > drawing > pencil drawing
Inventory number:
HO.0.1.3970