Striking vintage African wooden statue, skillfully carved by the Luba tribe from Congo, a seated female figure holding a bowl in her lap. This carving is a classic Luba figure. The image of a female figure holding a bowl is found among several stylistically related groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo, either one of the Luba subgroups or neighbors subtly influenced by Luba art and symbolism. The different forms and styles of Luba influenced sculptures generally served a common purpose as objects of power, ritual, and ceremony. This figure and bowl serve to recognize the rank of a chief or senior lineage head as it would be a chiefly container of some prestige or serve local diviners holding various objects and substances required for divination.
