Artistically engraved calabash ·  D. R. Congo, Pende · ID: 3047255

Description

pumpkin, kaolin, fire blackening, wood, labeled “gabuku”, “pumbu” and “mwawa”

This calabash is published in Léon de Sousberghes most famous work “L’ Art Pende” (1958, p. 167, Fig. 1).

He reports that it was acquired from the chief of the Kitombe (Kasai Pende). The bottle-shaped vessel was used to pour palm wine into the chief’s cup. The inscription with the names of the three masks “gabuku”, “pumbu” and “mwawa” had been added later by the Jesuits.

Sousberghe (1903-2006), a Belgian Jesuit priest, worked as missionary and ethnologist in the Lower Congo Basin, particularly with the Pende and neighbouring groups.

Works by the same artist can be found in the holdings of the Royal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren, Belgium (inventory no. EO.1953.74.3864 and EO.1955.36.1).

The object Artistically engraved calabash with the object ID 3047255 was last part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction at October 24, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 285.

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Publications

Sousberghe, Leon de, L' Art Pende, o.O. 1958, p. 167, Fig. 1