KUBA CEREMONIAL CUP, D. R. OF CONGO, AFRICA, One Male Head, One Handle, One Stand
Date of Manufacture: early 20th Century
Condition: very good
Provenance: Willard Vine Clerk, Malden Bridge, NY
Measurements: 8 in (20 cm) high x 5 in (13 cm) dia
Founded in the early seventeenth century in what is today south-central Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kuba kingdom was a wealthy state with an elaborate, merit-based system of courtly titles. Because positions of power within the Kuba court were awarded rather than inherited, members of the aristocracy went to great lengths to distinguish themselves from their peers. Drawing upon the skill and talent of local artisans, they commissioned elegant personal accessories that displayed their prosperity, personal achievements, and upward mobility.
One way in which Kuba titleholders displayed their wealth and generosity was through the distribution of large quantities of palm wine to their friends and associates. At the court, drinking vessels were a vital accessory of great symbolic value. (source: The Metropolitan Museum)
