Featured Pair of Carved African Busts

I found these at an estate sale this morning and at $12 each thought they were super well-executed.

Maybe Kenyan?

They are 11.25" / 28.5 cm tall, one slightly taller than the other. The wood is dense and heavy. Some slight cracking, esp on the one.

I read the date 11--11--57 on the bottom of one. (The other is unmarked.)

I can't read the signature.

Any thoughts and help will once again be appreciated.

@Boland

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

Zinga N'Toni Jean
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-wood-bust-black-negro-slave-541244113
https://www.uwkringding.be/item/an-48-ct10/AN-CI-2021-33610
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1631718446/

 

Thanks @Marote! The narrative on that WorthPoint one is totally absurd!

 

"NOW WHETHER ZINGA JEAN IS THE ARTIST OR THE SUBJECT WILL PROBABLY ALWAYS BE A MYSTERY!"
Yup, I'm also not sure if Zinga is the artist who made this, or if it's Zinga and his mother...

 

G**, that's embarrassing. For him.

Debora

 

At the risk of 'trusting' AI......

...the name Zinga Jean may not be a specific person's given name...

 

I was hoping the text on the Etsy piece would be helpful with finding out the origin, but no luck so far

I'm reading
ZINGA NTONI JEAN
AVE JANDOA NECRI VUZI
MATAUI

I'm not sure about the J in Jandoa, as it's different from the one in Jean. And not sure if it's NECRI or NECR 1 or something completely different...

 

Thanks again for the tireless help Marote! You're the best.

 

Isn't the second line Ave. d'And... ?

Debora

 

Thanks for the tireless help Debora! Here and always. You're the best!

 

Not sure if this helps at all.

 

Hey! I thought I was the best!?!?

 

Av. Sandoa
in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo?

 

The last line looks like Matadi. That's also in Congo, but if that's correct, then it won't be Av. Sandoa in Lubumbashi, as there's 2429km between those 2 locations

 

There's a Sandoa footway in Matadi!

 

Further down the rabbit hole ...

Matadi has Portuguese and French influences, and that explains the name N'Toni Jean.
'Jean' is obvious.
And N'Toni:

 

Isn't that interesting?

Debora

 

Aren't rabbit holes fun - when they aren't exasperating? "Zinga" occurs as a surname most often in Angola and the Congo region. The colonial Belgian Congo, which is now the DRC, would also explain a French language influence with "Jean". I was going to suggest that the second line was a street address, with the last line being a village or city, but it looks like Marote has successfully deciphered that.