Luba Shankadi caryatid stool, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Wood, 52 cm high. A very fine and early Luba royal stool of great cubistic quality. A seat is the most important symbol of Luba kingship and the Luba king's palace is referred to as 'the seat of power' (kitenta). Seating is a metaphor for the many levels and layers of hierarchy and stratification that characterize Luba royal prerogative.... Stools were such potent emblems that they were often kept secretly in a separate village from that of their owner to diminish the likelihood of theft. Swathed in white cloth and guarded fastidiously by an appointed official, the stool was brought out only on very rare occasions. Its purpose was to serve as a receptacle for the king's spirit rather than as a functional object (Roberts and Roberts 1996: 354-355). A stool by the same hand has been sold at Sotheby's on May 15th 2003 (lot number 64).
Provenance
Philippe Laeremans.
Specialist: Joris Visser
Joris Visser
+32-2-514 00 34
Joris.Visser@dorotheum.com
21.06.2018 - 17:00
- Estimate:
-
EUR 9,000.- to EUR 12,000.-
Luba Shankadi caryatid stool, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Wood, 52 cm high. A very fine and early Luba royal stool of great cubistic quality. A seat is the most important symbol of Luba kingship and the Luba king's palace is referred to as 'the seat of power' (kitenta). Seating is a metaphor for the many levels and layers of hierarchy and stratification that characterize Luba royal prerogative.... Stools were such potent emblems that they were often kept secretly in a separate village from that of their owner to diminish the likelihood of theft. Swathed in white cloth and guarded fastidiously by an appointed official, the stool was brought out only on very rare occasions. Its purpose was to serve as a receptacle for the king's spirit rather than as a functional object (Roberts and Roberts 1996: 354-355). A stool by the same hand has been sold at Sotheby's on May 15th 2003 (lot number 64).
Provenance
Philippe Laeremans.
Specialist: Joris Visser
Joris Visser
+32-2-514 00 34
Joris.Visser@dorotheum.com
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| Auction: | Tribal Art |
| Auction type: | Saleroom auction |
| Date: | 21.06.2018 - 17:00 |
| Location: | Vienna | Palais Dorotheum |
| Exhibition: | 16.06. - 21.06.2018 |