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Figure
Luba
20th century
Wood, pigment, beads, metal, horn, feathers
H. 40 cm
TC 553

The Shankadi style of is characterised by several distinct elements, oval or coffee bean shaped eyes with slits, a cascading coiffure with crests taht descend down the sides fo the head to the nape of the neck, scarification-the motifs of which have origins in basket work, and small conical and pointed breasts. Figurative forms dominate the ten categories of sculptures. The difference between figures and so-called fetishes that aquire protective power through specific rites, appears to be associated with magical substances contained in a horn or shell that is attached to the figure, as in this example that has a horn inserted in the head. (Pierre de Maret; Nicole Dery, Cathy Murdoch 1973: 8-15, 88.)

Luba Shankadi figures are in the collection of J.B. Hautelet illustrated in Primitivisim in 20th Century Art (Rubin 1984: 161) and in the Udo Horstmann collection, illustrated in Formes et Figures (Bassani 2002: 156, figure 62).

Provenance:
Rut Van Caelenbergh, Brussels 2010
Arthur Grosemans, Belgium 2006