Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba peoples, ca. mid 20th century CE. A hand-carved, wooden standing figure of what may be a female. She stands, hunched over, with small breasts emphasized on her concave chest; her face is similarly abstract and dominated by enormous disc-shaped earrings. She has minimalistic facial features, and incised marks on her cheeks and under her eyes represent the Kuba tradition of scarification. Her hair is in a distinctive cockscomb style. Her body is carved with intricate details, such as carefully delineated digits. The wood has been painted black. Comes with custom stand. Size: 4.4" L x 4.35" W x 22" H (11.2 cm x 11 cm x 55.9 cm); height on stand: 24.5" (39.4 cm).

The Kuba created many images of females with elaborate scarification patterns, both as standing statues and as figural cups for drinking palm wine. The Kuba kingdom was founded at the beginning of the 17th century CE and reached its height in the mid-19th century before contact with Europeans in the late 19th century. Sculptors had a privileged position in the society and used their art to increase the prestige of the wealthy and powerful by carving statues like this one.

Provenance: Ex-Alan Davis collection, Santa Fe, NM

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#121403

Small areas of surface wear on wood.