Grave Marker (Tumba)
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Object Label
The Kongo place stone figures called tumba on the graves of powerful people. This chief is shown smoking a pipe with his head averted as if in a state of contemplation. His cap (mpu) with four leopard’s teeth, the beaded necklace, and the bracelet (nlunga) identify the individual as a chief. The term tumba comes from the old Portuguese word for “tomb”—this genre may have been inspired by grave monuments for European merchants and missionaries in Kongo cemeteries.
Caption
Kongo (Boma subgroup). Grave Marker (Tumba), 19th century. Steatite, pigment, 23 × 6 × 6 in. (58.4 × 15.2 × 15.2 cm) mount: 23 × 8 × 4 1/2 in. (58.4 × 20.3 × 11.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1203. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.1203_edited_version_SL1.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Culture
Title
Grave Marker (Tumba)
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Kongo Central Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medium
Steatite, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
23 × 6 × 6 in. (58.4 × 15.2 × 15.2 cm) mount: 23 × 8 × 4 1/2 in. (58.4 × 20.3 × 11.4 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
22.1203
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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