Luba Shankadi Kinkondja headrest
Headdresses in African art from the Luba kingdom
African neckrest from the Luba kingdom. It is a monoxyl object, carved from a single piece of wood. The finesse of the piece testifies to the mastery of the sculptor. This prestigious object, made to order by a chef with the means to afford such a work, was used to put the head on it to preserve the complex hairstyle. The Luba Shankadi are known for their so-called "cascading" headdresses as seen in the attached pop-up photo. Observe also a Luba chief holding in his left hand a small figurative neckrest serving here in its other use: to establish the authority of its owner.
The copy that I am offering you here consists of a seat supported by a figure on the back of his mount, the horns of which join the seat. A similar copy can be found in the work Luba: aux sources du Zaïre, F. NEYT, p. 186, see photo.
Additional comment:
“The first object of this style was collected in 1901 in a village of Kinkondja on Lake Kisale, near the border of the DRC and Tanzania (now in the Museo di Antropologia e Etnologia in Florence, Italy).
It was William Fagg who referred to this unknown sculptor as "the master of cascading hairstyle" (Fagg, 1964: 88).
According to the latest scholarship, this artist probably lived in the village of Kikonja near Lake Kisale in the heart of Luba and was active between 1780 and 1830."
01470
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Circa 1950
- Size
- 18 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection Belgium
- Condition
- Excellent
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Headdresses in African art from the Luba kingdom
African neckrest from the Luba kingdom. It is a monoxyl object, carved from a single piece of wood. The finesse of the piece testifies to the mastery of the sculptor. This prestigious object, made to order by a chef with the means to afford such a work, was used to put the head on it to preserve the complex hairstyle. The Luba Shankadi are known for their so-called "cascading" headdresses as seen in the attached pop-up photo. Observe also a Luba chief holding in his left hand a small figurative neckrest serving here in its other use: to establish the authority of its owner.
The copy that I am offering you here consists of a seat supported by a figure on the back of his mount, the horns of which join the seat. A similar copy can be found in the work Luba: aux sources du Zaïre, F. NEYT, p. 186, see photo.
Additional comment:
“The first object of this style was collected in 1901 in a village of Kinkondja on Lake Kisale, near the border of the DRC and Tanzania (now in the Museo di Antropologia e Etnologia in Florence, Italy).
It was William Fagg who referred to this unknown sculptor as "the master of cascading hairstyle" (Fagg, 1964: 88).
According to the latest scholarship, this artist probably lived in the village of Kikonja near Lake Kisale in the heart of Luba and was active between 1780 and 1830."