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Bow Stand
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
A powerful symbol of the Luba king, bow stands were ceremonial objects that resided within the king’s private vicinity in the palace and were never displayed in public. Typically, bow stands depict a female figure, but the sculptor has carved a figure with ambiguously gendered human traits. This is a symbolic depiction that may allude to how divine rulers ( mulopwe ) were believed to have both “male” and “female” character traits, which allowed this sculpture to act as a vessel for spirits of any gender.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBow Stand, 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Luba-style carver. Wood and plant fiber; without base: 57.9 x 23 x 10 cm (22 13/16 x 9 1/16 x 3 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2018.27
