LUBA BOWL-BEARER DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Made of wood and glass beads H.: 39 cm (15³?? in.) A Luba bowl-bearer, Democratic Republic of the Congo Provenance: Joseph Lagerwall Collection, Gothenburg Anita & Jan Lundberg Collection, Malmö (1980–1996) Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family  Exhibitions: Malmö (Sweden), ‘Afrikanskt – Inspirationskälla för den moderna konsten’ / ‘African Art – A Source of Inspiration for Modern Art’, Malmö Konsthall, 22 March to 19 May 1986 Bibliography: Claeson (Ingvar), Högestätt (Eje) & Lundberg (Jan) (eds.), photographs by Oddner (Georg), *Afrikanskt – Inspirationskälla för den moderna konsten / African Art – A Source of Inspiration for Modern Art*, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, 1986, p. 138, cat. 178 Mboko are traditional Luba offering vessels carved in the form of seated female figures. They embody the Luba belief that women are the principal custodians of spiritual knowledge and sacred power. Historically, these vessels were used by royal diviners to store ritual substances and sacred materials. In this way, they established a tangible link between the spirit world, the ancestors and the community of the living. A LUBA BOWLBEARER DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Wood and glass beads H.: 15³?? in. Provenance: Joseph Lagerwall Collection, Gothenburg Anita & Jan Lundberg Collection, Malmö (1980–1996) Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent Exhibitions: Malmö, Sweden, ‘Afrikanskt – Inspirationskälla för den moderna konsten’ / ‘African Art – A Source of Inspiration for Modern Art’, Malmö Konsthall, 22 March – 19 May 1986 Bibliography: Claeson (Ingvar), Högestätt (Eje) & Lundberg (Jan) (eds.), photographs by Oddner (Georg), *Afrikanskt – Inspirationskälla för den moderna konsten* / *African Art – A Source of Inspiration for Modern Art*, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, 1986, p. 138, cat. 178. Mboko are traditional Luba offering vessels carved in the form of seated female figures. They embody the Luba belief that women are the custodians of spiritual knowledge and sacred power. Historically, such vessels were used by royal diviners to hold ritual substances and sacred materials, serving as a tangible link between the spirit world, the ancestors and the community.