DJILATENDO (c. 1895–c. 1950) AND CONGOLESE PAINTERS – BELGIA - Lot 97

DJILATENDO (c. 1895–c. 1950) AND CONGOLESE PAINTERS – BELGIAN CONGO – ca. 1930–1950 An exceptional documentary collection of 23 positive glass plate photographs intended for projection, dedicated to the early Congolese painters and the mural painting traditions of the Belgian Congo. Collected in vintage Ilford “Special Lantern Plates” boxes, one of which bears the handwritten notation “PEINTRES” in red pencil. The collection includes several old photographic reproductions of works by Tshyela Ntendu, also known as Tshela Tendu or Djilatendo, notably figurative and animal compositions. Some of the reproduced sheets bear the artist’s name directly within the image, along with indications of place and date, notably “Ibanshe, 1931,” corresponding to the period during which the artist worked under the patronage of Georges Thiry. The collection also includes documentary views of villages and paintings of huts, some captioned “Ekibondo Village (Uele)” and “Mangbetu Village,” drawing a connection between the works of the first Congolese “imagiers” and mural painting traditions. This collection appears to have been compiled as an educational, documentary, or lecture resource dedicated to the “painters” of the Belgian Congo. Its content shows significant parallels with the Tshyela Ntendu collection assembled in Ibanshe between 1929 and 1932 under the guidance of Georges Thiry and Gaston-Denys Périer, a substantial portion of which is now preserved at the Royal Library of Belgium. 23 glass plates. Collection preserved in its original Ilford boxes. TSHYELA NTENDU, also known as TSHELA TENDU