Recently in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, we were thrilled to be invited to visit a private collection of traditional African art. This sculpture of a female head we found to be entrancing. She emerges from Mbigou stone, which is a type of soapstone mined in a town by the same name a few hundred kilometers from Libreville. It’s malleability initially made it well known in certain circles of sculptors. It has a gray tone with hints of green and garnet that give an ethereal glow to the polished surface. Some say that this stone is used to peddle the spirits of the Ancients.