Anthropomorphic mask "mbuya" · D. R. Congo, Pende · ID: 3047485
Piet Lepelaar, Leiden, The Netherlands
Description
wood, pigments, plant fibre, raffia bast,
The Pende have a variety of mask “mbuya”. They perform in the village area purely for entertainment and at the initiation ceremonies of the “mukanda” men’s society.
The mask figures represent different characters and role models of Pende society. There are embodiments of chiefs (“fumu”), wise old men with long beards (“giwoyo” or “muyombo”), executioners (“pumbu”), fortune tellers (“nganga ngombo”) and bewitched persons “mbangu”, up to representations of clowns “tundu” and prostitutes “ngobo”.
The object Anthropomorphic mask “mbuya” with the object ID 3047485 was last part of the auction 96th Auction at April 24, 2021 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 133 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.
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
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 499