Seated bowl bearer "mboko" · R. D. Congo, Luba · ID: 3035473
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Provenance
Jacques Zimmerman, Belgium (collected in situ)Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 14 April 2007, lot 53
Description
wood, slightly shiny middle brown patina, angular shoulders, coiffure in several lobes, min. dam., cracks, traces of insect caused damage, small missing parts;
the functions of bowl bearers differ throughout the Luba region, but they always seem to have a close link to divination and healing. When a chief takes office the first wife hands him a sacred calabash with white earth (kaolin), a symbol of power. They are also considered to be the abode of the spirits who should help the diviner to heal the patient.