3046483

Caryatid stool "kipona" ("kihona")

D. R. Congo, Luba

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Walter Lechner, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sekou Keita, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Peter Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden
H: 18.3 inch sold

wood, sacrificial traces, very well executed original repairs (base, seat)

Luba caryatid stools were considered a symbol of the highest royal power and authority. They were kept and guarded by the king's first wife.

The caryatid figures of the throne stools are always female, in which the influential role of the woman in the society of the Luba is expressed. As the bearer of the throne, she supports the ruler and thus his worldly and sacral power.