Democratic Republic of Congo
Luba

Wood
Mid 20th century
Height: 14.5 inches Bell: Width: 6 inches x Depth: 4 inches
Idiophone – Struck Directly – Wooden Bell with clapper

Luba figural wooden bell from the DRC, made from dense wood. Shows a female ancestor figure with elaborate scarification patterns on the body and on the lower bell resonator.  The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes.

A favorite theme in sculpture was a woman since, according to a Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: They were sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighboring ethnicities.  Their responsibility was to contract profitable political alliances based on marriage.