Cassera Luba Female Figure Published

Luba Female FigureDemocratic Republic of the Congo12 1/2 inProvenanceEx. Emile Deletaille, BrusselsEx. Martin Krohn, Eckernförde, acquired from the above in 1972Ex. Sotheby’s Paris, December 5, 2007, lot 70, consigned by aboveEx. PROPERTY OF A NEW YORK CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONEx. Private Maryland CollectionEx. Cassera Gallery, NYC/Vancouver, BC

PUBLISHEDKarl-Ferdinand Schädler, African Art in Private German Collections, Munich, 1973, p. 357, cat. 515

These cult statues are used by ritual specialists Luba for divination, healing, initiation and settlement of disputes. Luba divide into two types: mihake mikisi - statuettes containing magical ingredients placed in small horns - and mihasi mikisi - representation of the dead or spirits (Nooter-Roberts in Tervuren, 1995: 365) - type to which connects this statuette.