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Premium BLANCHET & Associés
150
-
Luba figure, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, H.
See original version (French)
150
-
Luba figure, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, H.
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Luba figure, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, H.34cmxW.10cm (plinth). In the highly sophisticated Luba political system, the king concentrated both temporal authority and sacred power. To embody and protect this authority, he surrounded himself with a royal trousseau comprising specific objects: neck rests, stools, staffs, ancestor figures and bowstands, all with profound meanings. These objects, kept in the royal treasury, were entrusted to a female dignitary, the kyabuta, and activated in dedicated shrines during specific ceremonies. Thus, among the Luba, authority was not limited to its visible or warlike expression. While the men exercised power explicitly, the women embodied a complementary, invisible authority that was just as powerful. The finely sculpted headdress is reminiscent of the styles historically worn by Luba men and women, but also by their Hemba neighbours. Made up of several twisted lobes, it is reminiscent of the hairstyles described by European explorers in the late 19th century, who were already highlighting their sophistication and social symbolism. The hair depicted on the statue is much more than an aesthetic attribute: it signals maturity, identity and status, and is itself a coded visual language. Luba sculpture was admired in the West from the late 19th century onwards, particularly for its formal refinement, which was judged to be close to the classical Greco-Roman canons, and it was soon recognised as one of the major artistic traditions of the African continent. Its plastic language demonstrates a mastery of abstraction and a rare ability to condense complex values into a single form. Provenance: former collection of a railway administrator in the DRC, transmitted by descent
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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