Accession Number
1984/2.37

Title
Cup

Artist(s)
Kuba

Artist Nationality
Kuba (Democratic Republic of Congo style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1925

Medium & Support
wood

Dimensions
5 1/2 in (13.97 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase made possible by the Friends of the Museum of Art

Label copy
Palm wine, made from raffia palm trees, is a popular beverage among Kuba men and women. Elaborately decorated cups, however, are generally reserved for the ceremonial drinking of palm wine. The motifs found on many of these cups come from an extensive Kuba decorative vocabulary, which is used on many Kuba art forms, including sculpture and textiles. Decorated wooden palm wine cups were items of high prestige until the twentieth century when their use diminished due to the increased monetary value placed on the cups by Western collectors and the introduction of metal and plastic replacements.

Subject matter
Kuba artists apply their bold and sophisticated surface designs to both ceremonial and everyday objects alike. Objects such as drums, boxes, stools, backrests, knives, swords, bangles, wisdom baskets, staffs and fly whisks were typically reserved for the king and his courtiers. However, these objects in addition to cups, rubbing oracles, pipes, combs, drinking horns, ritual spoons, and scepters also served specific religious and ceremonial functions, or were simply everyday objects for common use. Whether they were related to prestige, used as divination objects to protect the community or simply served as conversation pieces for decoration, the commonality these objects often share are the elaborate geometric patterning and lavish surface design.

Physical Description
Circular bowl-shaped cup with black base. Linear vertical carvings are on the base and interlocking lines are wrapped around the bowl portion. 

Primary Object Classification
Wood and Woodcarving

Primary Object Type
cup

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
carvings (visual works)
prestige
wine cups