Luba ceremonial stool. Democratic Republic of Congo, ca. 1900.

Luba ceremonial caryatid stool. Democratic Republic of Congo, ca. 1900.
Carved and ebonized wood.
Provenance: collection of Captain Jens Georg Mouritzen (1879-1957), before 1914.
Measurements: 60 × 41 × 33 cm.

Important ceremonial stool belonging to the Luba culture, one of the most influential peoples of Central Africa. These pieces, of high symbolic value, were associated with power and authority, being used by chiefs and dignitaries as emblems of status and legitimacy.

The structure is articulated around a kneeling female figure holding the seat on her head with her arms raised, a characteristic typology of Luba art. The figure, of stylized forms and polished surface, presents an elaborate decorative repertoire incised on the torso, along with idealized facial features that respond to the aesthetic canons of this tradition.

In the Luba culture, the female figure symbolizes the transmission of knowledge and dynastic memory, which gives these stools a profound political and spiritual significance. Beyond its utilitarian function, it is an object of ritual character, closely linked to the identity and continuity of the lineage.

Comparable examples are kept in institutions such as the Musée du quai Branly in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or the British Museum in London, which underlines the relevance of this type of piece within traditional African art.