Wood in African material culture

11 Wood in all its forms

Mask; Lower Congo, DRC; Yombe; Gift of M. and J. De Cleene in 1979; Collected by Nathaniel De Cleene; EO.1979.23.13; © RMCA

Crossopterix febrifuga; Hanap sculpted buffalo horn-shaped wooden cup; West Kasaï, DRC
Kuba; Bought from François Michel in 1919; EO.0.0.23139
© RMCA

Wood: Cordia; Sculpted wood mask, polychrome, fur; Probably Uele, northern Congo, DRC; Bought from Pierre Loos in 1978; EO.1977.42.4; © RMCA

Ancestral statue in Crossopterix febrifuga; DRC – BEEMBE; Purchased from Edgar Beer in 1951; EO.1951.75.1 © RMCA

Crossopterix is particularly well suited to sculpture because it’s easily carved. Frequent in wooded savannah, Crossopterix febrifuga grows as a bush, shrub, or at most a small tree 3 to 8 m tall. Its wood is moderately heavy, very durable and doesn’t crack in dry conditions.
Finally in this gallery, a number of exotic woods acquaint the visitor with the distribution, characteristics and specific use of well or poorly known species.