KOPA

Details

SUKU CUP, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
KOPA
Height: 6½ in. (16.5 cm.)

Provenance

Ernst Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland, before 1990

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Please note that this lot will now be offered not subject to a reserve.

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Lot Essay

We can compare this cup to another one belonging to the Wereldmuseum of Rotterdam (MVVR 12663) which was purchased in 1912. This type of double-mouthed drinking vessel was part of lineage chief's regalia and was used to drink palm wine during ceremonies. The exquisite patina of this cup is the result of generations of use. The Beyeler kopa cup is decorated with a superb human face, known to represent the hemba nkisi, a mask used during young men's initiation.

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