Tribal Art

Within the very refined figurative sculpture of the Kuba groups, the prestigious objects held by members of the royal family and the Bushoong and Dengese, are always decorated with traditional motifs. Similar motifs also adorn the diviner's accessories, such as this divination instrument without its pusher. These tools, used to solve various problems, take up animal motifs associated with ngesh (spirits of nature) but also human motifs referring to ancestors and masks, as is the case here. Beautiful satin mahogany brown patina. Height on base: 38 cm.
The Kuba kingdom or "lightning people" was founded in the 16th century by the main tribe Bushoong which is still ruled today by a king, and whose capital was Nshyeeng or Mushenge. The Lele are established in the west of the Kuba kingdom, at the confluence of the Kasai and Bashilele rivers. The intercultural exchanges between the Bushoong of the Kuba territory and the Lele have made the attribution of certain objects difficult, because the two groups use the same iconography, composed of faces with elaborate hairstyles and geometric decorative motifs. LIT. "Kuba" D.A. Binkley, P. Darish; ed. 5 Contains (plates p.32 and 123)