Anthropomorphic mask · D. R. Congo, Bakwa Luntu / Mbole · ID: 3052371
Ernst (1914-2002) & Ruth Anspach, New York, USA (label “EA VI-8”)
Mr. & Mrs. J. Werner Gillon, London, England
Sotheby’s, London, The Tara Collection, 15 July 1975, lot 72
Sotheby’s, London, 21 June 1993, lot 186
B. J. Orten, Frankfurt, Germany
Description
wood, pigments, pyro-engraved, handwritten inscription “1445”, old collection label “EAVI-8”
This rare mask with remarkable provenance was attributed by Albert Maesen to the Bakwa Luntu people. Maesen conducted intensive research in the Congo between 1953 and 1955 and wrote various publications on this area.
The mask was shown by Time Life Inc. in 1970 in the film “The Sculpture of Black Africa”.
The object Anthropomorphic mask with the object ID 3052371 was part of the auction Auction 105 on November 15, 2025. The object with the lot number 363 achieved a sales price of EUR 7,000 with an asking price of EUR 3,000.
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.
Publications
Fagg, William, African Sculpture from the Tara Collection, London 1971, p. 48, VI-8 (not illustrated); Gillon, Werner, Collecting African Art, London 1979, p. 158, pl. XXIV right
AHDRC: 0033228
Exhibition
Notre Dame, Indiana, USA: African Sculpture from the Tara Collection, Art Gallery, University of Notre Dame, 28 March - 23 May 1971; Shown in "The Sculpture of Black Africa", film strips by Time-Life, Inc., 1970