{"product_id":"luba-ceremonial-adze-handle-with-carved-head-congo-rohner-collection-157291","title":"Luba Ceremonial Adze Handle with Carved Head Congo Rohner Collection","description":"\u003cp dir=\"auto\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLuba Ceremonial Adze Handle with Carved Head, Democratic Republic of Congo\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eA carved wooden\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eLuba ceremonial adze handle, retaining its finely modeled human head but lacking its original iron blade. The handle is carved with a long, slender shaft and an expanded central section designed to accommodate the blade assembly. The upper end terminates in a beautifully simplified human head with heavy-lidded eyes, broad nose, defined lips, and a finely incised coiffure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eCeremonial adzes (\u003cem\u003ekibiki\u003c\/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003ekasolwa\u003c\/em\u003e) were important prestige objects among the Luba and could function as insignia of leadership and status. Unlike ordinary agricultural tools, these highly sculptural examples were often made for ceremonial display and could be carried or worn during courtly and ritual occasions. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eAdze is a woodworking tool used in ancient times to perform carpentry tasks and can be made of a wide variety of materials: ground or polished stone, flaked stone, shell, animal bone, and metal (typically copper, bronze, iron). Adzes are generally defined in the archaeological literature as distinct from axes on several bases. Axes are for hewing trees; adzes for shaping wood. Axes are set in a handle such that the working edge is parallel to the handle; the working edge of an adze is set to be perpendicular to the handle.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe handle has a deep, dark brown patina and substantial evidence of age and handling, with scattered surface wear, abrasions, and natural age cracks. \u003cstrong\u003eThe original iron blade is missing, leaving the carved wooden haft as the surviving portion of the object.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Luba, also known as the Baluba, is an ethnic group that primarily resides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, specifically in the southern and eastern regions of the country. The Luba people have a rich cultural heritage and are well-known for their intricate and expressive masks.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe history of the Luba people can be traced back 500 years as they have dominated part of the Congo during that time. Luba society is still a large culture, and their influence remains significant. Luba and their closely related neighbors the Hemba, are some of the most important crafters and carvers in Central Africa.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance: John R. Rohner Collection\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eRohner, a museum curator for decades, aimed his practiced eye for authenticity to African art beginning in the early 1980s. His passion for this art only grew through the decades he built his collection––always with an aim for a broad and representative array of pieces. The collection appears in his book, \u003ci\u003eArt Treasures from African Runners\u003c\/i\u003e (2000, University Press of Colorado). \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem #782 on pg. 267\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"Polaris-Box\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_ActivatorWrapper_1ivxc_74\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"PRODUCT.metafields.custom.height_in_-anchor\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_ActivatorButton_1ivxc_78\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_LegacyRowWrapper_1ivxc_4\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_FormFieldLabelLegacy_1ivxc_38\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Polaris-Text--root Polaris-Text--bodyMd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlade missing; age-related wear, surface abrasions and natural cracking\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeight: 17.5\u003cbr\u003eWidth: 2.75\u003cbr\u003eDepth: 3.0\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e157291\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"sku 157000","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52169952690471,"sku":"157291","price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0826\/1015\/9911\/files\/IMG_1781_d97a5ae8-32f3-484c-8cb6-5091becf42b2.jpg?v=1790268343","url":"https:\/\/africadirect.com\/products\/luba-ceremonial-adze-handle-with-carved-head-congo-rohner-collection-157291","provider":"Africa Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}