Luba Carved Caryatid Stool Antiqu African Figure Congo

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Luba Carved Caryatid Stool Antiqu African Figure Congo

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Sold Date: 10/22/2007
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Exquisite Luba Royal Caryatid Stool, Female Figure
Antique African Seat of Power - Congo / Zaire

An Exquisite Old Luba Hermaphrodite Royal Caryatid Stool, Kayumba Workshop
Antique African Art - Prestige Object Tribal Furniture - Congo Zaire

Collected from the: Luba peoples of the Upemba depression region of Zaire, Central Africa
Material: Hardwood
Period: Early 20th century, conservatively
Dimensions: 14" height, 9" width, 9" depth; weight is 6.95 pounds
Condition: Exceptional - strong signs of age, skin oil, residue of use, patinated wear. Exquisitely detailed coiffure extends underneath the figure to protrude through legs knelt in the traditional 'birthing' position, lending a hermaphroditic appearance to this female form.

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Of Special Interest:
Luba stools are seats of authority which serve to situate power and memory through their form. The stools represent the highest level in a complex hierarchy of seating privileges in the Luba royal court. Titleholders are distinguished by w they sit in the court and by whether they may be seated upon woven mats, animal pelts, or carved wooden stools - only the highest ranking Mbudye dignitaries have the right to possess and use the carved wooden stools. Non-figurative wooden Luba stools incorporate elements directly associated with Mbudye initiation rituals while the caryatid stools are the embodiments of important rulers of the past for though such a stool is the seat of a living ruler, it will become the seat of his memory when he dies. The two types of Luba stools are divided into seven distinct groups, each consisting of several workshops that encompass a vast geographical area from the northern forest zone near the Bembe and Lega, to the Shaba in the south; from Lake Tanganyika in the east to the Kasai Luba country in the west. The caryatid stools are the most familiar, though the earlier geometric style referred to human and spirit forms as well. See Luba for fascinating details on these forms.

Tribal History
The Luba Empire was founded in 1585 and rapidly expanded to include all the territories on the upper left bank of the Lualaba River. At its peak, roughly one million people of several tribes were paying tribute to the Luba king. The king ( Mulopwe ) and court notables ( Bamfumus ) reigned over Luba subjects through clan kings ( Balopwe ) who could symbolically become the Mulopwe's son in a creation of clients states throughout the empire. The Bambudye were a secret society who kept the memory of the Luba empire alive and permeated throughout the territory to bond the diverse populations together. The complex Luba economy was based on a tribute system and the redistribution of resources from agriculture, fishing, hunting, and mining with the production of salt and iron held completely under the king's control. In contrast to the frequent use of male figures among neighboring cultures, almost all Luba objects depict the female form figuratively or by allusion to women's scarification through incised or raised designs, thus reflecting the Luba belief that 'kingship is a woman', for political authority is a delicate and deliberately ambiguous mélange of female and male elements - in that order of significance. In the late 19th century, the influx of Angolian peoples, along with the East African Muslim slavers combined to weaken the empire which then collapsed when the Belgian colonials seized power.

Cat. # asl1

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