Kongo Gunpowder Box - Congo

The Kongo people of D. R. Congo gave great care to the design and decoration of the wood bottles they used for gunpowder storage over a century ago. A piece of string through the top lugs on the sides of this example kept the top from being lost. The design of this container appears to have been influenced by European powder flasks. Overlapping clusters of striations gaily decorate the surface of the box, subtly echoing the contoured motions of its silhouette.

ex Marc and Denyse Ginzberg collection