Anthropomorphic face mask · D. R. Congo, Ubangi, Bwaka (Ngbaka) / Mbanja · ID: 3048915
Price
EUR 2,500
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance
Provenance
Belgian Private CollectionSize
H: 27 cm
H: 10.6 inch
Description
wood, pigments,
An almost identical mask published in the article H. Burssens “Mask styles and mask use in the north of Zaire”, in: Herreman & Petridis,1993, p. 227 (AHDRC 0036161). See also AHDRC 0036160 and 0144726.
According to Burssens, it can be considered certain, that the Ngbaka have used masks within the scope of initiation and circumcision rituals, called “gaza”, but no uniform style can be discerned.
According to Ngbaka tradition, the practice of circumcision, together with masks and paraphernalia were acquired from the Mbanja, which according to Burssens may indicate, that many Ngbaka masks were created by Mbanja sculptors.
Comparing literature
Herreman, Frank & Constantijn Petridis (ed.), Face of the Spirits, Tervuren 1993, p. 227