Chokwe lid

This finely carved lid takes the form of a kneeling female figure holding a small vessel in one hand and a long anthropomorphic staff in the other. Her elaborate coiffure, beaded necklace and rows of small beads decorating the circular base emphasize the prestigious character of the object.

Among the Chokwe, objects associated with tobacco could extend well beyond their utilitarian purpose. Snuff containers, mortars and related personal objects were sometimes elaborately carved and formed part of the material culture of prestige associated with chiefs and prominent individuals. Comparable Chokwe tobacco containers preserved in museum collections are fitted with anthropomorphic stoppers or sculptural lids, ranging from heads to complete figures.

Here, the seated female figure transforms the lid into a small-scale sculpture in its own right. The staff surmounted by a human head and the vessel held in the opposite hand enrich its iconography, giving the composition a particularly expressive and narrative quality.