Lot: 229

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Trumpet "namburuse"

D. R. Congo, Mangbetu

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Dirk Vonck, Brussels, Belgium
Wolf-Bernard Müller, Krefeld, Germany
H: 19.9 inch This object is not available anymore.

ivory, reptile skin, corpus carved with animal motifs (snake and spider), rep. (neck)

The ivory trumpet "namburuse" was played in the court and represented royal power and presence. Trumpets accompanied the king and his wife when they perfomed a dance called "mabolo". They also announced the king's movements and his victories. Usually they were played in pairs with the same orientation.


Burssens, Herman, Mangbetu, Brussels 1992, p. 66, ill. 25

YALE: 0001641

This object is subject to CITES. Please note that it can only be sent within the European Community. At the present time export in third countries is prohibited.