# Drinking Container

- By: Kuba (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Date: Probably late 19th century
- Medium: Wood, copper alloy, and iron
- Classification: Vessel
- Dimensions: 30.5 × 7.7 × 45.8 cm (12 × 3 × 18 in.)
- Culture: Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Credit line: Gift of George F. Harding
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/88689)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/76b733d0-34a8-8f1c-bda1-95b45773cf7a/full/843,/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Drinking horns and cups are among the many insignia that have denoted status in the highly hierarchical Kuba society since the kingdom’s foundation in the 17th century. This wooden sculpture—decorated with raised geometric and figural designs—imitates the horn of a buffalo, an animal that stands for the powerful, untamed wilderness and is therefore associated with both rulers and warriors.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0