Central African Lost-Wax Cast Brass Tobacco Pipe, attributed Luba–Songye, Democratic Republic of the Congo Provenance Egon Guenther Collection

Ethnographic Central African tobacco pipe cast in brass using the lost-wax technique, attributed to the Luba–Songye cultural region, Democratic Republic of the Congo, late 19th–early 20th century. From the Egon Guenther Collection.

Pipes of this type were not merely utilitarian items but markers of adulthood, social standing and participation in communal discourse. Tobacco smoking accompanied negotiation, storytelling and ritual gatherings. 

Comparable examples are preserved in museum ethnographic collections where Central African cast smoking implements are catalogued as prestige personal objects.

Measurements
Length: 17.2 cm
Weight: 140 g