Anthropomorphic face mask "La belle Madeleine" · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3047755
sold
EUR 450
Provenance
Piet Lepelaar, Leiden, The NetherlandsSize
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.
The object Anthropomorphic face mask “La belle Madeleine” with the object ID 3047755 was last part of the auction 96th Auction at April 24, 2021 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 128 achieved a sales price of EUR 450.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Felix, Marc L., Beauty and the beasts, Brussels 2003, p. 98 f.