LUBA CARYATID STOOL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Wood H.: 44.5 cm (17¹?? in.) A Luba caryatid stool, Democratic Republic of the Congo Provenance: Collection of Camille Duyck (1885–1966), Brussels Pierre Dartevelle (1940–2022), Brussels Collection of Jean-Jacques Rotthier (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family  Bibliography: Cornet (Joseph-Aurélien), *Zaire, Peuples-Art-Culture / Zaire, Volken-Kunst-Cultuur*, Antwerp, Fonds Mercator, 1989, p. 35 Dartevelle (Valérie) & Plisnier (Valentine), Pierre Dartevelle and Primitive Arts: Memory and Continuity, vol. II, 5 Continents, 2021, p. 371, fig. 482 This royal seat (kipona) is one of the sacred insignia of the Luba monarchy. Kept within the sovereign’s palace, it embodies the legitimacy of royal power and refers to the original seat of the founders of the sacred Luba dynasty. The caryatid figure supporting the seat reflects the Luba conception of the female body as a vessel for the spiritual power upon which the sacred kingship rests. In a society where succession and royal titles are passed down through the maternal line, it serves as a reminder of the essential role played by female ancestors in legitimising power. It evokes the founding mothers of the dynasty, revered as the guarantors of its continuity. The fine scarifications adorning the body, the stylised cowrie shells arranged around the rim of the seat, and the elegant hairstyle all form part of the same symbolic language. Together, they evoke the refinement, social order and ideals of civilisation associated with Luba royalty, of which the sovereign is both the custodian and the guarantor. A LUBA CARYATID STOOL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Wood H.: 17¹?? in. Provenance: Camille Duyck Collection (1885–1966), Brussels Pierre Dartevelle (1940–2022), Brussels Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent Bibliography: Cornet (Joseph-Aurélien), *Zaïre, Peuples-Art-Culture / Zaïre, Volken-Kunst-Cultuur*, Antwerp: Fonds Mercator, 1989, p. 35 Dartevelle (Valérie) & Plisnier (Valentine), Pierre Dartevelle and Primitive Arts: Memory and Continuity, vol. II, 5 Continents, 2021, p. 371, fig. 482 This royal seat (kipona) functions as a sacred insignia of political authority. Preserved within the king’s palace, it serves as a metaphorical seat of kingship and a tangible source of political legitimacy. Each stool is understood to replicate the original seat of office associated with the first rulers of the sacred Luba lineage. The caryatid figure supporting the seat reflects the Luba conception of the female body as a vessel of spiritual power upon which sacred kingship depends. Because succession, inheritance and royal titles are transmitted through the maternal line, the imagery explicitly symbolises the king’s right to rule as inherited through his female ancestors. The figure evokes the primordial royal mothers, revered as the founders of the lineage and guarantors of dynastic continuity. The finely rendered scarification patterns, the stylised cowrie shells adorning the rim, and the elaborate hairstyle all serve as visual metaphors for the refinement, civilisation and social order associated with Luba kingship.