Highly decorated lidded wood boxes ranging from half-moon or oblong shapes to upright, cylindrical forms modeled on baskets are used by Kuba aristocrats for storing tukula, a red cosmetic made from powdered camwood bark mixed with oil to form a paste considered necessary as body decoration for all ceremonies. It is an expensive but necessary possession and owners prefer boxes with complex geometric ornament similar to textiles or masks.
This piece is collected from the chief in Congo DRC and has been part of a private South African collection.