{"product_id":"mugg-079","title":"MUGG-079 — Mbete-Kota artist, Reliquary figure (19th century)","description":"Mbete-Kota reliquary figures were not representations of the dead but containers for proximity to them, mounted atop bark boxes holding ancestral bones and charged materials. This nineteenth-century example, over eighty centimetres tall, combines wood, hammered metal sheeting, and cowrie shells in a configuration specific to the Mbete subgroup of the Kota peoples in present-day Gabon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe figure entered European collections through the Matisse family before arriving at @metmuseum, where it remains. MUGGMUSEET curatorial staff have noted the structural parallel with MUGG-078, another object whose original form was designed to hold something inside it. The work enters the collection today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis work entered the collection on 2026-06-27. The mug is the acquisition. The acquisition is complete.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpecifications\u003cbr\u003eCeramic mug, 11oz. Dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Print wraps include the artwork panel and museum label panel on a white ceramic base. Fulfilled by Gelato and ships in 3 to 5 business days.","brand":"Muggmuseet","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45862464290918,"sku":"MUGG-079","price":22.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0702\/6055\/5878\/files\/91ffe22e76a5.jpg?v=1782595955","url":"https:\/\/shop.muggmuseet.com\/products\/mugg-079","provider":"MUGGMUSEET","version":"1.0","type":"link"}