A Kuba Cup Lot n° 42

Palm wine cup Cuba, DR Congo Ohne Sockel / without base Wood. H 13,5 cm. Ø 10 cm. Provenance: Gallery Walu, Basel. Today's Kingdom of Cuba is a confederation of some twenty ethnic groups with common Bantu ancestry, dominated by the Bushong ruling class. The name Kuba comes from the Bantu language, where it means "throwing knife." Numbering about 250,000 people, the Kuba tribal complex includes the Bushoong, Kete, Tetela, Ngeende, Lele, Binji, and Shoowa, among others. The Kuba have a special fondness for geometric shapes and are primarily famous for their elaborately abstract textiles. But also all other objects of their use were gladly decorated over and over with finest patterns. This finely designed vessel is probably a so-called "trust or friendship cup". During ceremonies the initiates came together and drank palm wine according to prescribed rules. The different shapes of the cups gave information about the initiation degree of the members. Further reading: Robbins, Warren M. / Ingram Nooter, Nancy (1989). African Art in American Collections. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. CHF 200 / 400