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From Africa to Quai Branly: Histories of the Collections

musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo Claude Germain

Sceptre in the form of a bow stand

Master of the Luvua (Master of Warua)
Luba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Wood, plant fibres, glass beads, metal, oily patina
Gift of Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière
Paris, Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Inv. 70.2017.66.23

At the outset, arrow-holders were utilitarian accessories used to hold hunters’ bows and arrows. Among the Luba people, they became an emblem of royal power and a marker of prestige. For the Luba, an arrow-holder evokes the mythical hunter Mbidi Kiluwe, father of the hero Kalala Ilunga, from whom the Luba believe they are descended.

With regard to the female figures decorating these objects, some authors suggest that they represent the women who played a role in the history of the Luba kingdom, and that the two hands cupping the nourishing breasts symbolise their role as the guardians of royal secrets. The Luba kingdom, established in the 17th century, fell under Belgian control at the end of the 19th century, and its territory is now part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For that matter, it was a Belgian magistrate, Léon Guébels, who came into possession of this object sometime between 1913 and 1918 in unknown circumstances. After having belonged to various collections in Belgium, the United States and France, the collector Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière donated it to Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in 2017.

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