Sceptre - sign - Luba Kalundwe - DR Congo

Rare sceptre "kibango" Luba Kalundwe
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Total height: 100 cm
Materials: light and dense wood (usually used by the Baluba), copper and iron wire, upholstery nails
Period: early 20th century.
Provenance
- Jacques R. van Overstraeten Collection, Brussels, Belgium
- Collection Rut Van Caelenbergh, Belgium
2008
- Sale: Zemanek-Münster - Germany - March 14, 2009. Lot 402. (penultimate photograph)
- Vente Million - France, February 6, 2019, Lot 41
- Exhibitions:
Brussels, Belgium: "BRUNEAF, "Brussels Non European Art Fair XVIII", 4-8 June 2008"

Originating from three different cultural areas: the Luba, the Songyé, and the Tshokwé, this scepter "Kibango" and its two squares arranged one above the other on the handle is of particular interest due to their pinched rectangular shapes. It is almost certainly a lukasa, mnemonic devices reserved for Luba and Songye historians in order not to forget when they recited royal genealogies or major historical and political chronicles. It is considered, thanks to the works of Mary Nooter (Luba Art and Statecraft. Creating Power in a Central African Kingdom, New York, 1991) and others, that this type of scepters played a central role in state organization; while the Luba extended their political influence over their neighbors through alliances and treaties, the objects that represent power among the Luba also spread to their neighbors. The incised motifs on the two lukasa represent the bazilia – prohibitions and royal secrets (Nooter, op. cit., 1993, p. 105, no. 37).

This Kibango scepter of the Luba Kalundwe is sold with its base.
He is listed in the JSTOR database. (in 'Luba Kalundwe staff').

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