The Luba are an ethnic group found in the South-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). The Luba tribal art is mostly known for a feminine representation to show the importance of women in society. Much of the Luba art appears to serve a certain purpose although this has been replaced by symbolic purposes. Sculpted caryatid stools serve symbolically as seats of power and sites of memory for deceased kings and chiefs rather than serve as places to sit hence serve as metaphors rather not literal seats of kingship. Their design is mostly figurative and abstract. These stools represented a Luba concept of the female body as a spiritual receptacle that supports divine kingship. The aesthetic refinement of the female body through elaborate skin ornamentation serves as a metaphor for the civilization and refinement that Luba rulers disseminate within society. This stool is carved in heavy wood with a brown patina with visible signs of old age.
- Material: Wood
- Condition: Crack at the bottom
- Age:approx 55-75yrs
- Origin: DR Congo
- SKU: CSTA-107
- Weight: 2.7 kg
- Dimensions: 19 x 26.4 x 19 cm