Luba Maternity Figures,  African Carvings

According to Neyt's superb book, LUBA, "The representation of women is omnipresent in Luba art. It is through woman that the ancestor reveals himself anew in the child...

Sculpted figures with prominent breasts constitute a kind of unspoken Luba code for women are thought to hold special powers and those powers are located in their bodies.

Figures like these well carved and  sculpturally elegant female reflect the prominent role women held in Luba society whether in politics or in matters spiritual and are recalled in Luba oral history. Female mediums known as Mwadi were acknowledged as reincarnations of dead Luba kings.

It was in fact through the bodies of women that Luba kings derived their power. The elaborate coiffure identifies and gives the individual's rank and status and role within Luba society. It serves as a mark of civilization and a extension of Luba aesthetics. Complex hairstyles take hours to sculpt the hair and require a structure to support this elegant coiffure.

Though their vital role in each society is obvious, the sculptural emphasis placed upon the female form by the Luba isn't completely understood. It is thought, however, that this dominance emerged from the very depths of their mythology. The exact population of the Luba is not known. Though they occupy a vast area of the DRC, the civil unrest in the region has prevented any census-taking for many years. Estimates run from the old figure of 1,000,000 down to 200,000. At any rate, as peoples go, they are not large. The world's greatest museums and private collections are filled with Luba sculpture, as the beauty and serenity of their finest works transcend those of almost any other African culture. For such a small group, their enduring impact on the art world is startling. See J. Cornet, A SURVEY OF ZAIREAN ART: THE BRONSON COLLECTION.

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