Figural mortar
D. R. Congo, Mbala
sold
EUR 600
Provenance
René David, Zurich, SwitzerlandHarald & Ursula Suhr, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada / Germany (1980)
Size
H: 40 cm
H: 15.7 inch
Description
wood, brown patina, blackened in parts, pointed stand in form of a human half figure with short arms, crowned by a funnel-shaped superstructure, rest., min. dam., minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on base;
mortars of this kind were used for making snuff, for preparing medicine or sacrificial food and for mashing “pembe”, the white earth (kaolin) as well.