
Description
LUBA KANYOK
Beautiful caryatid stool.
A very beautiful tabouret, typical of Kanyok sculpture, the forms of the female figure are generous, the hairstyle is crimped, and the scarifications cover the lower abdomen and the inside of the thighs, similar to the famous stool illustrated in Bernard de Grunne's book, 2017, page 57 (a stool that belonged to Paul Guillaume, later to the Barnes Foundation).
These stools are not merely functional and aesthetic objects; they are one of the most important symbols of political power. Their local name is Kipona, or Kihona, or Lupona. They hold significant ritual and ceremonial importance, being used exclusively by chiefs and dignitaries during ceremonies or to mark important events.
The Kanyok, or Bena Kanyoka, are Western Luba. According to their oral traditions, they are Luba migrants who left their original region to settle in Kasai in search of fertile lands. The fusion of sculptural art with the utilitarian object showcases the high degree of artistic skill of the Luba. The fluid lines and harmonious proportions of the caryatid make it a visually captivating object.
The Luba are a great people in eastern DRC.
Their caryatid seats, bearing cups, chiefs' sticks, arrow holders, adzes and ancestral statues are very famous and among the most valued objects in African Art
Characteristics:
TYPE OF OBJECT: Cariatid Stool
Anthropomorphic seat
ETHNICAL GROUP: Luba Kanyok
ORIGINE: Congo Drc
MATERIAL: Wood.
DIMENSIONS: about 16 3/4 Inches high.
Diameter: about 9 3/4"
CONDITION: Medium - Bad
Big defects
Please have a look on the pictures.
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BIBLIOGRAPHIE - BIBLIOGRAPHY :
- La tête dans les Etoiles, Pierre Loos, Thomas Bayet et Sophie Caltaux, Bruneaf 2012, page 47, inv. 551)
- Cariatides Luba Hemba, pour une histoire de l'art des sièges à cariatides des styles Luba et Lubaisés, Bernard de Grunne, catalogue d'exposition Parcours des Mondes, Paris, 2017
- Atlantes et Caryatides.Trônes d'Afrique Noire, Galerie Ratton - Hourdé, 2004
- LUBA, aux sources du Zaïre, François NEYT, Editions du Musée Dapper, 1993
- LUBA, Visions d'Afrique, Editions 5 Continents, Mary Nooter Roberts et Allen F. Roberts, 2006
- MEMORY, Luba Art and the Making of History, Mary Nooter Roberts, 1996
Reserve: $1,000.00
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LUBA Kanyok Cariatid Stool Seat figure Statue Tabouret African Tribal Art 0860
Estimate $1,200-$1,500
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$500
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Primitive Passions: Exclusive Tribal Art Sale
Mar 24, 2026 8:00 PM EDTNew York, NY, United States
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