Luba (Baluba, Kaluba, Louba, Uruwa, Waluba, Warua), Democratic Republic of the Congo

Female Cupbearer (mboko). Inhabitants in southeastern DRC and in northern Zambia the Luba have a great variety of carvings, distinguished by emotional intensity. Their art is a court art that endowed objects with a stamp of prestige – statues, stools, staffs, arrow holders, weapons, shields, and others. Artists occupied a privileged place in the hierarchy. The carver carried a ceremonial axe on his shoulder, an emblem of prestige and of the dignity of his position. The female cupbearer named mboko generally presents a seated or crouched female figure holding a cup. It was carved to be used by the diviner. He would shake the mboko and analyze the position of the different objects it contains.

Material:  wood

Size:  H. 21”,   W. 8”,  D. 10”

Price: $245 + $30 (S&H)          [#B8L9S872]