ACK 0719-1
Luba-Shankadi Headrest, Zaïre (now Dem. Rep. Congo).
This splendid ancient “Luba-Shankadi Headrest” is a remarkable work, done with special attention to details where you can observe the refinement of the elements and richness of the details carved by the artist. This piece presents the aesthetic canons, characteristic of the Shankadi style, which most known representative is the well-known “master of the cascading hairstyle.”
This headrest is composed of a base on which a couple is sitting, facing each other, each figure with the arms placed on the other one’s body. The seat of the piece is supported by the heads of the figures.
In the original myth, this primordial couple gives birth to a monstrous being with four arms, four legs and two heads.
Age: 2nd half 20th century.
Provenience: From a private Belgian collection.
Dimensions: Height: 19 cm, Width: 21 cm, Depth: 6,5 cm.
You will notice that this Luba-Shankadi Headrest is very similar to the famous Luba-Shankadi Headrest, acquired in 1936 by the famous collector, the Carl and Amalie Kjersmeier Collection, now located at The National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
