H-shaped ingot ("Katanga cross" or possibly handa),

ca. 19th century

John B. Elliott was a lifelong art collector with interests spanning the world. His bequest to the Princeton University Art Museum included 250 works from central, western, and southern Africa, including these objects from Congo that evince Elliott’s admiration for artistry and craftsmanship across media. This carved wooden lid for a ceramic food container is decorated with finely rendered symbolic motifs that represent Woyo proverbs. The round cosmetic box, with a square top and bottom carved with rich geometric designs, recalls a common Kuba basketry form. The textural variety of ornamentation on the surface of the drinking horn resembles scarification patterns, a form of body decoration among Kuba and Luluwa communities. Copper alloy cast into ingots (called Katanga crosses after the copper-mining region in Democratic Republic of the Congo), anklets, and other objects made from this valuable material were long used as currency throughout Africa.