Description
Headquarters in cariatide Luba/hemba, Republic Republic of Congo. Wood Early 20th century Height: 36.5 cm Provenance: Public sale -Public auction: Art Primitifs, Cornette de Saint Cyr, Drouot Richelieu, Paris, France. July 3, 2007, lot 147. -Belgian private collection Monoxyle wooden seats supported by a figure in the round, most often female, are a recurring motif in African statuary and one of its most original creations. Luba tradition exalts feminine beauty, paying homage to the woman who, as the holder of spiritual authority, shares in political power (Nooter Roberts & Roberts, idem, p. 54). Through his creation, the sculptor honors and translates the combination of strength and sensitivity, the power of his gestures conveying symbolism, the metaphor of the importance of the woman supporting royal power. The seat's traditional function gives it both a hieratic and political character. Used for ceremonies involving important figures of power, notably chiefs or notables of the Empire, the seat could also be offered as a gift to the chief of the Mbudye. Balance in majesty, the balance of power signified in the rigor of the ample movement, in the punctuation by the curved planes of the points of tension - shoulders, biceps and open palms whose slender fingers seem just to graze the seat. The ovoid treatment of the face, with its idealized realism and prominent forehead, slightly triangular cheekbones and deep-set eyes, reveals the Luba's great mastery of wood carving, as well as their concern for harmony in the treatment of the various facial features. (Neyt, Luba. Aux sources du Zaïre, 1977, p. 88). Incisive finesse of features. The lower part of the caryatid's body is characterized by the delicacy and richness of the engraved motifs: the scarifications, treated in a multitude of lozenges forming perfectly symmetrical and harmonious geometric patterns, surround the navel and belly, constituting elements of body decoration. Her body spoke to the world, modulated the rhythms of nature, announced incantatory chants and revealed the words of the beyond. Her function was to interpret supernatural phenomena, linked to clairvoyance and power. A metaphor for royal power, a hymn to femininity, this work sums up Luba's creative genius.
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Headquarters in cariatide Luba/hemba, Republic Republic of Congo. Wood Early 20th century Height: 36.5 cm Provenance: Public sale -Public auction: Art Primitifs, Cornette de Saint Cyr, Drouot Richelieu, Paris, France. July 3, 2007, lot 147. -Belgian private collection Monoxyle wooden seats supported by a figure in the round, most often female, are a recurring motif in African statuary and one of its most original creations. Luba tradition exalts feminine beauty, paying homage to the woman who, as the holder of spiritual authority, shares in political power (Nooter Roberts & Roberts, idem, p. 54). Through his creation, the sculptor honors and translates the combination of strength and sensitivity, the power of his gestures conveying symbolism, the metaphor of the importance of the woman supporting royal power. The seat's traditional function gives it both a hieratic and political character. Used for ceremonies involving important figures of power, notably chiefs or notables of the Empire, the seat could also be offered as a gift to the chief of the Mbudye. Balance in majesty, the balance of power signified in the rigor of the ample movement, in the punctuation by the curved planes of the points of tension - shoulders, biceps and open palms whose slender fingers seem just to graze the seat. The ovoid treatment of the face, with its idealized realism and prominent forehead, slightly triangular cheekbones and deep-set eyes, reveals the Luba's great mastery of wood carving, as well as their concern for harmony in the treatment of the various facial features. (Neyt, Luba. Aux sources du Zaïre, 1977, p. 88). Incisive finesse of features. The lower part of the caryatid's body is characterized by the delicacy and richness of the engraved motifs: the scarifications, treated in a multitude of lozenges forming perfectly symmetrical and harmonious geometric patterns, surround the navel and belly, constituting elements of body decoration. Her body spoke to the world, modulated the rhythms of nature, announced incantatory chants and revealed the words of the beyond. Her function was to interpret supernatural phenomena, linked to clairvoyance and power. A metaphor for royal power, a hymn to femininity, this work sums up Luba's creative genius.
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