Extraordinaire tabouret à cariatides, avant 1909 · R. D. Congo, Songye / Luba · ID: 3049671
Vendu
4 500 €
Provenance
Oberleutnant Albert Linke (Lincke), collected in situ, before 1909By descent in the family, seller 2008
Anton Mentrup, Mainz-Kastel, Germany
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, original repairs
The stool shows two female and one male, respectively hermaphrodite caryatid figure with beard.
The Songye share with the neighbouring Luba the same mythical ancestor “kongolo” and the “kifwebe” mask society. The artistic expression of the two peoples also have much in common.
The Songye adopted certain types of Luba court representation as their own chiefly regalia, including caryatid stools, which were also used by the Songye as an emblem of status.
Wheras male caryatid stools do not exist in Luba tradition, Songye artists created both male and female stools.