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Description : Central Africa, Dominican Republic of Congo, Kuba peoples, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A stunning, hand-carved, wooden pipe used for smoking tobacco displaying a stylized bowl in the form of a human head and an elongated, curved stem, intricately incised with lovely geometric motifs. The fascinating chamber sits upon a circular foot with three spikes holding up the anthropomorphic bowl, which is topped by a flared rim. Framed by two c-shaped tresses of hair representing ram's horns, the fascinating visage presents a pair of heavy-lidded, almond-shaped eyes beneath a curved brow, a flat nose with broad nostrils, and a closed-lip mouth above a pointed chin. Two petite ears and a pair of bulging nubs sit behind the lengthy tresses of hair. The swooping stem has been carefully carved to feature a bridge-like handle decorated with an upside-down head that faces the bowl, while the hemispherical lip exhibits a projecting piece avian bone, likely intended to serve as a mouth piece. Size: 14 L x 3.75 W x 6.5 H (35.6 cm x 9.5 cm x 16.5 cm) According to Kristen Windmuller-Luna, the Sylvan C. Coleman and Pam Coleman Memorial Fund Fellow in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The origins of pipe smoking in West Central Africa have been debated, tobacco itself was likely introduced from the Americas by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. (Philips 1983, 308, 317). By the time that European and American observers first visited the Kuba kingdom in the nineteenth century, tobacco smoking was a well-established social practice there. The Kuba kingdom was founded in the early seventeenth century and consisted of an elaborate, merit-based system of courtly titles in which positions of power were awarded rather than inherited. Due to this, aristocratic members of the Kuba kingdom frequently commissioned refined personal accessories, such as this example, to display their achievements. This pipe bears a striking resemblance to the anthropomorphic vessels used by Kuba elites to demonstrate their wealth and generosity by distributing large quantities of palm wine to their friends and associates. This wonderful implement exhibits several traditional Kuba characteristics, such as a closed mouth reflecting the belief that thought should precede speech, a shaved hairline that frames the forehead, which was believed to be the seat of wisdom and insight, and c-shaped tresses of hair that allude to ram’s horns, as sheep were a royal privilege of the nyim (Kuba ruler) and his family and thus another symbol of one's status. Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #137908
Price: 373.50 USD It's free to register now to view!
Estimate (low-high) : 600 USD-900 USD It's free to register now to view!

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