Horn
Kuba
1850–1899
- Medium
- Wood, copper alloy, and iron
- Dimensions
- 30.5 × 7.7 × 45.8 cm (12 × 3 × 18 in.)
- Genre
- drinking vessel
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
Buffaloiron (metal)Central Africavesselanimalsgeometricdrinking vesselstatuskuba (democratic republic of congo stylewood (plant material)Drinkingabstract figuresafrican Artarts of Africacarvingmetalworkingcopper alloy
About
Drinking horns and cups are among the many insignia that have denoted status in the highly hierarchical Kuba society since the kingdom’s foundation in the 17th century. This wooden sculpture—decorated with raised geometric and figural designs—imitates the horn of a buffalo, an animal that stands for the powerful, untamed wilderness and is therefore associated with both rulers and warriors.
