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Female Mboko Bowl Bearer

19th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Luba representations of female bowl bearers served as instruments of personal divination, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were primarily considered symbols of sacred office. Like the seat of office exhibited nearby, such female images allude to the potent relationship between women and Luba kingship, and the importance of communication with the spirit world in the context of divination and healing. Only a few works have been attributed to what has been described by scholars as the Middle Lukuga Workshop. Distinctive for their oblong faces, wide foreheads, downturned arched eyebrows, straight noses, and overall softly carved features, these figures show the influence of the neighboring Hemba peoples.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Female Mboko Bowl Bearer
  • Date: 19th century
  • Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lukuga River region
  • Culture: Luba peoples, Middle Lukaga Workshop
  • Medium: Wood, iron
  • Dimensions: H: 12 5/8 in. (32 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing