Cup

Arts of Africa

Probably early 20th century

Wongo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

Owned by people of rank in the western portion of the Congo River Basin, sculpted wood cups are used for the ritual and social drinking of palm wine. This Wongo cup was rendered as a stylized human figure, playing on the notion of the human body as a vessel. The cup is embellished with incised geometric patterns, part of a repertoire of designs that are used on many different kinds of objects across the region, from masks to textiles.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Wongo
Title: Cup
Place: Democratic Republic of the Congo (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1900–1940
Medium: Wood
Dimensions: H.: 12.7 cm (5 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Richard Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection
Reference Number: 2006.125

Pierre Darteville, Galerie Impasse Saint-Jacques, Brussels, Belgium, by 1998; sold to Mark Felix, Tribal Arts Gallery, Brussels, Belgium, by 1998; sold to Richard Faletti (died 2006), Faletti Family Collection, Phoenix, Ariz., 1998; given to the Art Institute, 2006.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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