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104
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Luba cup bearers, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, H.
See original version (French)
104
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Luba cup bearers, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, H.
See original version (French)
Estimate €800 - €1,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Luba cup bearers, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, H.51cmxW.38cm. The cup bearer, sometimes known as the "beggar woman", is a traditional motif found in many variations throughout the Luba territory. Despite the diversity of forms, it always depicts a woman holding a calabash or cup, known as a mboko, in her hands, supported by her legs. This object is part of the insignia of royalty and power, used when chiefs are enthroned; but it is also linked to the art of divination when kaolin, a white clay reputed to be the preferred means of communication with the guardian spirits of the Luba territory, is placed in the cup. The female figure is of prime importance in Luba art, not only as a symbol of fertility, but also because the woman is at the centre of beliefs, as the holder of the power to give life, and as the interlocutor par excellence with the spirit world. For these reasons, Luba female figures are omnipresent, and their idealised representation reveals their sacred nature.
See original version (French)
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