Description:

**Originally Listed At $1400**

Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba culture, early 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden box of a truncated oval form, its lid finely carved with a stylized human face or mask that presents bold features and a guilloche pattern. Such intricately carved Kuba boxes were traditionally used to store a cosmetic called twool, a red powder made out of the Pterocarpus tree, or cherished valuables. An excellent example with remains of pigment within and a lustrous patina. Size: 6" W x 9.5" H (15.2 cm x 24.1 cm)

Cf. Krieger (1969, pl.229) for a Kuba box sold by Leo Viktor Frobenius (1873-1938) to the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin, in 1904 (inv.III C 19833a.b).

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired at Christie's, London, Lot 70 of July 4, 1989 sale

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#156700

  • Condition: Minor abrasions to lid and body, with fading to interior pigmentation, and a couple of stable hairline fissures along top of verso, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice remains of original pigment within interior and great patina throughout.

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March 25, 2021 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000