Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels
Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above in the 1980s

The Luluwa people live in south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo, along both shores of the Luluwa river in the north and the Kasai river in the west. Situated between the empires of the Luba, Chokwe, and Kuba, the Luluwa received significant cultural impulses from their neighbors which they converted into a highly sophisticated culture of their own. The name Luluwa covers a number of subgroups whose languages are variants of Chiluba, the language spoken by the Luba people. According to Petridis, the Luluwa "are said to have had their origin in Katanga Province in southeastern Congo, emigrating in successive waves between the 17th and 18th centuries." (Petridis, Art and Power in the Central African Savanna: Luba, Songye, Chokwe, Luluwa, Brussels, 2009, pp. 119-122).

No less intricate than larger Luluwa sculptures, this figure expresses the classical ideals of Luluwa beauty in miniature. Its elongated neck, marked by geometric scarification patterns, and high forehead are symbols of ideal beauty in the Luluwa canon. The delicately carved facial features embodies a subtle elegance, in contrast to the more masculine and cubistic depiction of the torso, anchored below by oversized legs and feet that imbue the man with a sense of mass. The size of this sensitively carved sculpture meant that it belonged to an individual, probably as a protective talisman bearing the power of ancestral spirits. The small bowl that the figure holds in his left hand was likely a receptacle for bishimba—magical substances that activated the figure’s supernatural power.