Cup holder - Mboko - Luba - DR Congo

Cup bearer 'mboko' (Luba)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Height : 44 cm
Presumed seniority: 1930s
Weight: 2,800 g.
Status: Tension cracks under the two knees of the mboko, minor deficiencies.
Provenance: collection of the White Fathers - Antwerp; collection Heinrich Westerdijk - Netherlands (circa 1960); private Belgian collection

Mboko figurines or bowl-bearing figures of the Luba and their various subgroups and neighboring peoples all share the same concept: a woman kneeling, crouching, and sometimes even standing, holding a bowl, cup, or vessel in front of her and rarely also on her head. Here, the bowl, lined with white clay, rests on her bare legs, stretched out in front of her and pressed against her turned feet. The body is that of a young, sturdy woman. She has a disk-shaped hairstyle with a broad band across the forehead, leaving a lively and intense face with nicely sculpted features visible. In particular, the protruding eyes are vividly rendered, as are the nose and lips. She bears triangular scarifications over most of her torso and wears three Mpunduji (blue) beads from the Luba around her neck. A fine natural dark brown patina directly on the very dense surface of the hard wood. A very lively woman with a lot of youthful charm.

Sold with its handwritten certificate of authenticity, signed by Mr. Peter Westerdijk.

Mr. Heinrich Westerdijk was a great collector of African art as well as a passionate connoisseur of tribal weapons, about which he wrote one of the very first books on the subject, titled "ijzerwerk van Centraal-Afrika," the cover of which you can see in the last photograph.

Delivery guaranteed (Bpost)