A German Colonial Officer in East Africa

Collection of Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler (1930–2024), Munich

Pierre Dartevelle (1940-2022), Brussels

Collection of Jacques Massar, Brussels

Collection of Jean-Jacques Rotthier (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent

Schaedler (Karl-Ferdinand), Afrikanische Kunst. Von der Frühzeit bis heute, Munich: Heyne, 1997, p. 281, no. 190

This bow stand is an insignia of Luba sacred kingship. It refers to the cultural hero Mbidi Kiluwe, the foreign prince credited with founding the Luba dynasty. Unlike public royal regalia, bow stands were kept within the king’s private residence. A high-ranking female dignitary, known as a Kyabuta, was entrusted with its care and guarded the object from public view.

The female figure carved on the shaft reflects the central role of women in Luba political and spiritual life. In Luba thought, women are regarded as the principal vessels of the spiritual power that sustains the kingdom. The figure’s elaborate coiffure and carefully rendered scarifications signify cultural refinement and noble status, embodying the aesthetic and moral ideals of Luba society.