Vintage Pair of Congolese Luba Figures

Published by Nevan O Shaughnessy on October 29, 2020October 29, 2020

PRESENTING a LOVELY piece of West African Tribal Art, namely a Vintage Pair of Congolese Luba Figures.

Made in the Congo by the Luba Tribe, circa mid 20th Century, circa 1970.

One features a beautifully hand carved Warrior in pensive mood with his fist resting on his chin and the other of a female carrying a water vessel on her head.

The skirts have a carved cross hatch detail.

In very good original condition.

Acquired by a private Dallas Collector on a safari trip to the Congo in the 1970’s.

The Luba people or Baluba are an ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in its Katanga, Kasai, and Maniema provinces. The Baluba consist of many sub-groups who speak various dialects of Luba (e.g. Luba-Kasai, Luba-Katanga) or other languages, such as Swahili.

The Baluba developed a society and culture by about the 400s CE, later developing a well-organised community in the Upemba Depression known as the Baluba confederation. Luba society consisted of miners, smiths, woodworkers, potters, crafters, and people of various other professions. Their success and wealth grew greatly over time, but this also caused their gradual decline to marauding bands of slavers, robbers, and terrorists from among Portuguese and Omani led or influenced invasions.

The Luba people tended to cluster in single street villages, with homes with rectangular thatched roofs on both sides of the street whose lineage is usually related. The homes were in the savanna and forests. They hunted, fished in abundant waters near them, gathered food such as fruits from the wild and had mastered agriculture. In contemporary era, they grow cassava, corn, raise livestock. Some Luba carve wood and produce artist handicrafts.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba_people