Luba Ceremonial Axe, D. R. Congo

Wood axe handle with carving of seated female figure and embellished with copper strip and tacks, and with copper alloy axe head having incised geometric decoration. The wood with blackened surface. Possible repair to one arm of figure, minor losses to copper strip. On gallery base. Length of axe (excluding base,) approx. 16 1/2".
Provenance: Estate of Thomas McNemar, (1931-2019.) McNemar lived and collected throughout Central and West Africa in the 1960s and 70s. He established galleries of African Art in New York and San Francisco, selling to museums and public and private collections in the United States and Europe.