작품 상세

Democratic Republic of the Congo Luba anthropomorphic water pipes are among the most inventive and refined sculptures of Luba Art. According to Professor Allan F.Roberts (Trésors d'Afrique, Brussels, 1995:360), these pipes have been used since time immemorial by the populations of eastern Congo for smoking either locally grown tobacco which is considered a mild narcotic as well as a social and cultural factor. Specifically water pipes are used by the Luba and related populations such as the Tabwa to reduce the harshness of tobacco which is not dried for a long time. A famous photograph from 1910 shows a Luba chief or soothsayer smoking a water pipe placed in the cupule of a Luba cup-bearer, underscoring the many sacred connections between divination and the use of tobacco. According to Roberts, the figure and the water gourd of the anthropomorphic pipes are considered "feminine" while the reed which is connected to the terracotta bowl (missing in our pipe) is "masculine".This pipe therefore symbolizes the relationship between men and women in this matrilineal society.