The Tervuren Museum owns three Luba sculptures from the same workshop or possibly by the same master, one of which is very similar but masculine (smaller, 36 cm) collected by the Charles Lemaire Mission (1863-1925) between 1899 and 1905. Another one, very similar but feminine this time, shows the same scarifications, the same headdress, and the same facial features. Yet another one was collected by Leon Joseph Ernest Van den Broeck (1863-1921) in 1915. It can be confidently assumed that this workshop operated in the second half of the 19th century.

This piece features a beautifully sculpted round, semi-spherical head with a well-ordered Shankadi headdress consisting of eight rows. The eyes, nose, and mouth are raised, exhibiting the distinctive style. The neck is broad and straight, leading to shoulders with arms slightly curving back onto the well-arranged diamond scarification on the belly. There are also scarifications around the hip area, including four keloids above the buttocks. Three large scarifications can be seen on the lower abdomen just above the genitals. The powerful legs are slightly bent, and the feet have well-defined toes. The sculpture showcases a beautiful dark black patina with occasional areas of shiny red.

Provenance:

• William Brill Collection, NY, USA
• Dr. John and Nicole Dintenfass, NY, USA
• Fily Kerta, CA, USA

Publication:

• "Tribal & Textile Arts XIII/2007," New York, 2007

Exhibition:

• New York, USA: "Tribal & Textile Arts Show. Fine art of native cultures XIII," May 19-22, 2007