1940s RARE VINTAGE AFRICA SABENA BELGIAN AIRLINES CONGO POSTER ADVERTISEMENT

Description

A Rare Vintage Belgian-Congo Sabena Airline Poster
"Fly to the Belgian Congo via Sebena"
ca. 1940
Photograph mounted on board with hand-lettering
Dimension: 27.75in x 35.75in; Framed 34in x 42in
PROVENANCE:
Property of a Private Tampa, Florida Estate
Ex-Benton Collection, Tampa, Florida, 2012
*Documentation on file and can accompany the artwork for historical conservation purposes
Description: "Fly to the Belgian Congo via Sebena" depicting a Kuba ceremonial performance with three central figures dancing in native attire. Curatorial Remarks: Original hand-lettering with small areas of loss. Bottom corner missing (unseen behind matte frame). Surface wear commensurate with age. Professionally framed behind museum grade glass and very likely to be the only one available in the art market.
Provenance: The subject travel advertisement is formerly of a Private Tampa Estate. The property owner was a Sabena Airlines employee who retained the poster as a keepsake. John Benton (Other Side Antiques, Inc.) acquired the poster at the estate auction following his passing in 2012.
Sabena, or Société Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne, was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, and throughout its history had a long tradition of service to African destinations. This vintage travel poster was marketed for their Belgian Congo route. The multi-ethnic Kuba kingdom, probably organized in the early seventeenth century, is set in a fertile area of central Zaire between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers. The various peoples who live within and near this kingdom display an unusual range of artistic expression that includes varieties of poetry, abundant and skillful carvings, and spectacular costumes worn by men and women on special occasions. Kuba textiles used as costume stand out from all others in Zaire in their elaboration and complexity of design. Even in everyday life, men of the ruling ethnic group, the Bushong, wore a distinctive, gathered skirt of red barkcloth or woven palm fiber. On festival days, traditionally occurring at least once a month, one saw a burst of visual variety in the costumes, and a full panoply of textile arts made its appearance.' The most elaborate costume is the white outfit of the king, which he wears at its fullest only at his installation and burial (see cover of Fraser and Cole 1972; Cole 1970:no.38). In this costume he is almost covered with cowries as a sign that he is a descendant of Woot, the mythical founder of Kuba culture who came from the sea (Vansina 1964:109). The king and other members of the court possess several complete outfits, required for different occasions, consisting of various decorative elements and color combinations; the main textile in these costumes is the skirt. Skirts for both men and women comprise several pieces of cloth forming a panel two to three meters in average length. Men's skirts are gathered around the hips, the upper end folding over a belt, the lower edge hanging down below the knees. Men's ceremonial skirts made of barkcloth (now largely replaced by industrial cloth), often checkered in red and white squares, display special border ornamentation consisting of small checked pieces, plush bands, fringes and tassels. These skirts and further special accoutrements such as caps, feathers, belts, pendants and hand-held objects publicly indicate the special titles and ranks held by individual officers (Adams, 1978). According to Joseph Cornet (Institute for National Museums of Congo), these types of spectacles have become very rare in recent years
(Cornet, 1982)
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Cf. Mweka (Congo Belge); Notable bakuba dansant (Accession No. 2012.4205), Real photograph on card stock, African, Copyright Photo-Home Léopoldville, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for a related image
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