Caryatid stool "kipona" ("kihona") · D. R. Congo, Luba / Zela · ID: 3046006
not available anymore
Provenance
Richard Palmer, London, Great BritainEmmanuel Ameloot, Ghent, Belgium
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 22. November 2003, Lot 366
Size
H: 43 cm
D: 22,5 cm
H: 16.9 inch
D: 8.9 inch
Description
wood, colour pigments, rep. (seat)
Luba caryatid stools were considered a symbol of the highest royal power and authority. They were kept and guarded by the king’s first wife.
The caryatid figures of the throne stools are always female, in which the influential role of the woman in the society of the Luba is expressed. As the bearer of the throne, she supports the ruler and thus his worldly and sacral power.
Representations of mother and child are rare among the throne stools, probably referring to the role of the woman for the continuity of the lineage.