Ndop are royal memorial'portraits'carved by the Kuba people of Central Africa. They are not naturalistic portrayals but are intended as representations of the king's spirit and as an encapsulation of the principals of kingship. Ndop were carved in the eighteenth century, making them some of the oldest surviving examples of African wood sculpture.

The wooden portraits were part of the 'royal charms', sculptures which contained the living king's magical powers. The charms were kept in the king's shrine and when he was absent from the capital, the ndop were rubbed with oil to preserve the essence of kingship at the centre of the kingdom.

The individual ruler is identified by a small emblem on the plinth at the base of the sculpture. This ndop is of King Shyaam aMbul aNgoong, founder of the Bushoong ruling dynasty, and shows his emblem of a mancala board.



Kuba-Bushoong, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, probably late 18th century AD
Ht 54.5 cm
Gift of Emit Torday