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. This cup in the form of a head depicts the distinctive swept-back hairstyle associated with male royalty.
- This cup was one of several objects given to photographer Eliot Elisofon by the Kuba king (nyim) Mbopey Mabiintsh ma-Kyeen on the occasion of Elisofon doing a photo essay featuring the king for Life magazine in 1947.
- Description
- Wood cup in the form of a human head with flaring opening on top, interlace bands on neck, C-form handle on back, swept back cross hatch coiffure, facial scarifications, and prominent almond eyes.
- Provenance
- Eliot Elisofon, New York, collected Mushenge, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1947 to 1973
- Exhibition History
- Africa ReViewed: The Photographic Legacy of Eliot Elisofon, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 21, 2013-December 14, 2014
- African Emblems of Status, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 29, 1982-April 3, 1983
- Published References
- Elisofon, Eliot. 1958. The Sculpture of Africa. New York: Praeger, p. 209, no. 266.
- Staples, Amy J. 2014. "Africa ReViewed: The Photographic Legacy of Eliot Elisofon." Tribal Art 19 (2), no. 71, p. 86, no. 6.
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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
- Bequest of Eliot Elisofon
- Medium
- Wood
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 18.4 x 9.8 x 13 cm (7 1/4 x 3 7/8 x 5 1/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
