Iron figurine of the Kuba (Bushoong)

There are just three wrought-iron Kuba artworks that we know about, this pair included. According to Kuba tradition, the statuettes were attributed by oral traditions to the renowned blacksmith named Myeel. He was a 17th-century prince. There was a link between forging and kingship elsewhere in Central Africa too. This came about because forging and melting made use of the four elements and was seen as magic. Above all, blacksmiths made essential tools.