Luba Double Female Caryatid Stool (Lupona)

Luba people, mid. 20th century, Lukuga River Region, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Superb and finely carved double caryatid stool (lupona) featuring two powerful addorsed female figures standing with short, muscular legs, long arms bent at the elbows, and their hands and heads supporting the circular seat. Both figures display the classic Luba coiffure and finely rendered scarification patterns across the body. Their narrow faces—sensitively modelled with almond-shaped eyes, pointed noses, and straight, composed lips—convey calm dignity. The wood is richly dyed in a deep brown tone, highlighting the sculptural elegance.

Despite their functional form, such royal stools were never used for sitting. Instead, they served as sacred insignia preserved in a king’s palace—metaphorical, not literal, seats of kingship. Luba leadership stools may be abstract or figurative, but the caryatid form is among the most symbolically charged, embodying the spiritual authority, lineage, and memory of the dynasty.

The Luba comprise a constellation of peoples occupying a vast region of south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose kingdoms reached their height between the 17th and 19th centuries. Traditional Luba belief includes a universal creator (Shakapanga), a supreme being (Leza), and a richly interconnected natural and supernatural world. Ancestral spirits (bankambo) and other beings (mikishi, bavidye) inhabit the realm of the afterlife and may intercede on behalf of the living when approached with ethical conduct (mwikadilo muyampe) and proper ritual observance. Religious life incorporates prayers, songs, dance, offerings, rites of passage, and invocations performed by priests (nsengha, kitobo), while healers (nganga) and diviners address illness, misfortune, and spiritual imbalance.

The Shankandi Luba and the related Hemba are celebrated master carvers, renowned for anthropomorphic figures, caryatid stools, ceremonial axes, and headrests. Luba blacksmiths likewise hold esteemed status as guardians of esoteric knowledge passed down from a mythic ancestral hero. Female imagery dominates Luba art, reflecting the elevated status of women as life-givers, priestesses, and holders of political and spiritual authority. Indeed, only a woman’s body was believed strong enough to contain the spirit of a deceased king.

This lupona is an elegant expression of Luba philosophy, artistry, and kingship—where political power, ancestral legitimacy, and the female principle are inseparably intertwined.

Excellent condition. Age-related heavy wear and extensive handling over many years. Light, old corroded wood with wormholes, fractures, chips, and cracks. Lovely encrusted patina throughout. Size approx: 31,0cm x 11,3cm x 23,0cm.

Provenance: Swedish private collection

For a similar examples see:

Prestige Stool: Female Caryatid, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Acession number: 1977.459.2 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310434)

Caryatid Stool, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Accession number: 1994.004.018 (https://collections.carlos.emory.edu/objects/688/caryatid-stool)

Royal Seat (Lupona): Female Caryatid, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession number: 1978.412.317 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310760)

References and further reading:

Luba: Visions of Africa, Mary Roberts & Allen F. Roberts, Publisher: 5 Continents Editions Srl, 2007.

Luba, Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Dec. 2018. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Luba-people)

History of Art in Africa: Second Edition, Monica Blackmun Visona, Robin Poynor and Herbert M. Cole, Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2007.