Figural Bottle

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Luba kingdom grew in strength and influence, dominating a large region centered on the resource-rich Upemba Depression, lying along the Lualaba River in south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. People living in areas peripheral to the Luba blended with them in various ways, emulating them, adopting their practices, and adapting to their increasing power in a dynamic fashion.
This vessel, with its large, beautifully sculpted head, conveys a greater stylistic formality and is probably Luba or Lunda. Its sculptural hairstyle resembles a crested headdress photographed by the missionary Rev. W.F.P. Burton in the 1930s. Such vessels usually hold water or alcohol, whether palm wine, home-brewed beer, or even distilled liquor. They may also be used to pour libations in honor of ancestors or may be placed on shrines or graves. [See also 2005.283].