Anthropomorphic face mask "La belle Madeleine"

D. R. Congo, Luba

sold EUR 450

Provenance

Piet Lepelaar, Leiden, The Netherlands

Size

H: 25 cm

H: 9.8 inch

Description

wood, kaolin, black paint, missing parts (backside at the rim), base

Such masks were called “La belle Madeleine” by the locals and were probably meant to represent a Catholic nun or “Mama Maria” - the Virgin Mary.

Felix, Marc L., Beauty and the beasts, Brussels 2003, p. 98 f.

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