Anthropomorphic mask "lukwakongo" · D. R. Congo, Lega · ID: 3049780
sold
EUR 3,000
Provenance
Yannick van Ruysevelt, Brussels, BelgiumSize
H: 14 cm
H: 5.5 inch
Description
wood, kaolin, pokerwork,
A mask by the same artist from the Josef Herman Collection was auctioned as lot 316 at Christie’s Amsterdam on 12 December 2000 (AHDRC 0027077).
Young men received the “lukwakongo” masks during the “yananio” rites. These masks were the most important insignia of rank until the owner moved to the higher level of “kindi” and trades his wooden mask for an ivory one, called “lukungu”.
Comparing literature
Cameron, Elisabeth L., Art of the Lega, Los Angeles 2001, p. 184 ff.