Raro vecchio feci cariatidi - Conchiglie, Legno - TABWA / LUBA - Repubblica Democratica del Congo

On a customised stand

Carved from a single block of wood, this remarkable stool likely comes from the Tawba speaking areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It depicts a female l figure with outstretched arms and hands raised to support the seat.

This ornate and impressive seat of leadership most likely belonged to a Tabwa chief.

Despite their functional form, royal stools are never used for sitting but, rather, are sacred insignia preserved within a king's palace. They serve as metaphorical, not literal, seats of kingship. The design of Luba seats of leadership may either be abstract or figurative. Those incorporating female caryatids give expression to the Luba conception of the female body as a spiritual receptacle that supports divine kingship. The aesthetic refinement of the female body through elaborate skin ornamentation and coiffure serves as a metaphor for the civilization and refinement that Luba rulers disseminate within society.



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