Object Details
- Label Text
- Kuba prestige cups hold palm wine, a drink served on special occasions. The dense geometric, carved patterns on the cups derive from textile designs and reflect the Kuba aesthetic preference for overall decorative patterning. The form of this cup is similar to the ceramic cups made by women of the Ngongo group of Kuba peoples. The ceramic cups hold oil.
- Description
- Flattened wood globular cup with side handle and incised geometric design of linear and notched triangular and diamond motif.
- Provenance
- Josefa Carlebach, New York, -- to 1969
- Exhibition History
- Patterns and Forms, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 20-September 16, 1984
- African Emblems of Status, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 29, 1982-April 3, 1983
- Published References
- Robbins, Warren M. and Nancy I. Nooter. 1989. African Art in American Collections. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 428-429, no. 1096.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Kuba artist
- Date
- Mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of Josefa Carlebach
- Medium
- Wood
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 8.7 x 19.6 x 16.8 cm (3 7/16 x 7 11/16 x 6 5/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
