Mbete-Kota reliquary figures were not representations of the dead but containers for proximity to them, mounted atop bark boxes holding ancestral bones and charged materials. This nineteenth-century example, over eighty centimetres tall, combines wood, hammered metal sheeting, and cowrie shells in a configuration specific to the Mbete subgroup of the Kota peoples in present-day Gabon.The figure entered European collections through the Matisse family before arriving at @metmuseum, where it remains. MUGGMUSEET curatorial staff have noted the structural parallel with MUGG-078, another object whose original form was designed to hold something inside it. The work enters the collection today.***This work entered the collection on 2026-06-27. The mug is the acquisition. The acquisition is complete.SpecificationsCeramic mug, 11oz. Dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Print wraps include the artwork panel and museum label panel on a white ceramic base. Fulfilled by Gelato and ships in 3 to 5 business days.
