Divination Calabash Top, Luba People, Drc

Statuette whose function was to close the upper part of a divination calabash. It shows a kneeling woman holding her breasts. The torso and sides are decorated with scarifications that frame a forward-projecting navel. The round face is peaceful, smiling and is topped with a traditional headdress. We can see at the top a hole that must have contained a small horn. The base is rounded and pierced with small holes (slightly missing at the back) which were used to fix the statue on the calabash.
These calabash statuettes represented the wife of the diviner or the first diviner. She would be linked to the power of royalty and served as an intermediary between the visible and invisible worlds.
Wood with a greasy patina (these statues were oiled), missing at the back of the base.
Height: 12.5 cm
Luba people, DRC
First half of the 20th century.
Provenance: ex Norbert Boutet collection