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Horn

A work made of wood, copper alloy, and iron.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of wood, copper alloy, and iron.

Date:

Late 19th-early 20th century

Artist:

Kuba
Kasai region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

About this artwork

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.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Kuba

Title

Horn

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.

1850–1899

Medium

Wood, copper alloy, and iron

Dimensions

39.4 × 44.5 × 11.4 cm (15 1/2 × 17 1/2 × 4 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of George F. Harding

Reference Number

1928.173

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/88689/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

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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