Luba Seated King Figure on Custom Base Congo

Elements that identify this figure with the Luba include characteristic carving styles such as facial features, and the ethnic marks such as the traditional hairstyle. 

The Luba are one of the dominant cultures of the Congo, and perhaps number around one million. The Luba empire, which at one time stretched from the west to Lake Tanganyika, was at its most powerful from around 1500 to the 1870s. The decline of Luba power began soon afterward, and can be traced to Arab slave raiders and European colonialists, who did not recognize the power of Luba laws and rituals, and alas, also possessed rifles and horses. Though no longer politically powerful, Luba influences are still felt today throughout much of the DRC. They are debatable the most recognized and respected of all the art-producing cultures in central Africa. Most texts on African art will devote a major section to the Luba, and a great source.

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