Pipe bowl (Cleveland Museum of Art 2008.152)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
early to mid-1900s
Tobacco smoking had important social connotations in Central Africa, denoting age, status, and gender. Perhaps the enlarged hand expressed physical and spiritual powers and indicates that this work belonged to a chief.
Figuratively carved pipes and snuff mortars constitute important genres of Luluwa decorative arts. As personal objects reflecting the prominence and success of their male and sometimes female owners, they are usually the creative work of virtuoso artists and take a variety of often imaginative shapes. Cleveland Museum of Art object 2008.152: Pipe bowl, early to mid-1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Luluwa or Luntu maker.
Wood, iron, and copper alloy; overall: 6 x 7.4 x 24 cm (2 3/8 x 2 15/16 x 9 7/16 in.). Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 4
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The cavity for the tobacco is positioned in the belly of a figure who holds himself up with bent arms on the pipe.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- Wood, iron, and copper alloy
- Dimensions
- Overall: 6 x 7.4 x 24 cm (2 3/8 x 2 15/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
- Measurements
- Overall: 6 x 7.4 x 24 cm (2 3/8 x 2 15/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
- Material and technique
- Wood, iron, and copper alloy
Identification
- Date recorded
- early to mid-1900s
- Culture period
- Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Luluwa or Luntu maker
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 2008.152
- Published references
- Gérard Berjonneau & Jean-Louis Sonnery, eds. Rediscovered Masterpieces of African Art (Boulogne: ARTS 135/Paris: Fondation Dapper, 1987), fig. 292. Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art . Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 41 Petridis, Constantijn. Luluwa: Central African Art between Heaven and Earth. 2018, 169. Reproduced; p. 169, fig. 146 Rondeau, James, Constantijn Petridis, Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Wilfried Van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. The language of beauty in African art. 2022.
- Museum classification
- Tools and Equipment
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: this record describes a single museum object; confirm maker, materials and date against pipe references.