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The Luba peoples occupy a land of rivers and savanna in the southeast part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the seventeenth century, Luba society consisted of an extensive, centrally organized state structured on the principles of divine kingship and rule by council.
The Luba kingdom was said to have been founded by a king called Kalala Ilunga, a heroic prince who overthrew his despotic uncle to establish a new dynasty of divine rulers.
Historically, female royals were often married to chiefs in outlying areas, helping to expand and unify the kingdom. Because the Luba trace succession and inheritance through the female line, such marriages established important bonds of kinship and allegiance. Sculpted seats are among the most important insignia of office used exclusively by Luba rulers, including kings, chiefs and the heads of clans or lineages.
The imagery of the female supporting the stool symbolizes the fact that the chief or king inherits the right to rule through his female ancestors. Luba leaders owned a series of items of regalia depicting female figures which referred to the female body as a receptacle for the spiritual power of divine kingships.
A royal stool is believed to serve as a receptacle for a ruler’s spirit. It therefore holds great symbolic value as the repository and wellspring of sacred kingship. Such seats, part of the ensemble of regalia that constitutes a Luba treasury, are an integral part of the investiture ceremony establishing a ruler’s political authority. Except for these rare ceremonial occasions, the royal stool was wrapped in cloth and safeguarded by a specially designated official.
Approximate dimensions: 56 cm (H) x 34 cm (W) x 33 cm (D)
Weight: 5,9 kg
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