Neckrest · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3038152
Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium
Description
wood, middle brown patina, pokerwork, square base decorated with geometrical incisions, rep. (breakage pillow), cracks, traces of abrasion;
Luba headrests were certainly used by their sleeping owners to help preserve the elaborate coiffures the Luba are noted for. A style such as the Shankadi cascade was styled over a canework frame, it took almost fifty hours to complete, and with the use of a headrest at night, it could last two to three months. While the coiffures are appreciated aesthetically by the Luba, they are also an integral element of social identity. Different Luba coiffures and headdresses are associated with different status and ranks, and with different events in a persons life, like engagement, marriage, widowhead etc.
The object Neckrest with the object ID 3038152 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 444 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,700.
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Comparing literature
Nooter Roberts, Mary, Luba, Mailand 2007, ill. 33