Kuba/Luba Culture Wooden Female Figures

Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba / Luba cultures, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. A finely hand-carved pair of wooden female figures, each depicted nude in a squatting or seated position upon a discoidal base. Their surfaces have developed a smooth, lustrous patina, likely from repeated applications of oils or fats, enhancing their rich, organic sheen. These figures were likely ancestral representations, revered in family shrines as symbols of lineage, protection, and spiritual connection.