Description:

Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Luba, ca. late 19th to mid-20th century CE. A fascinating dried gourd rattle with a wooden figural handle for rituals, still filled with secret items or pebbles that emit sounds. The hand-carved wooden figure is a nude woman with elegant geometric scarification on her stomach repeated in the design pattern on her head. Her hands rest on her breasts, and her oversized head has large, stylized features that appear wizened by age, but also may indicate great wisdom. The handle is surmounted atop the hollow gourd with woven rattan fibers, dried clay, and chicken feathers decorating the base. Rattles were ceremonial for healing, divining, and Bugabo initiation rites- initiates would place secret and special items inside the gourd to create power- the woman figural handle represented womanly secrets. Size: 5" Diameter x 10.5" H (12.7 cm x 26.7 cm)

Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s

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#170436

  • Condition: Losses to feathers and rattan fibers. Nicks to wooden figure and abrasions to gourd, but intact and very good. Felt pads added to gourd base for stability. Still emits rattling sound.

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May 5, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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