Anthropomorphic mask "mbuya" ·  D. R. Congo, Pende · ID: 3048720

Description

wood, pigments, rest. (pieces reinserted), base

The Pende use dance masks “mbuya”, which appear during non-ritual festivities to entertain the village community.

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 identification of a specific mask character depends largeley on aspects of the costume, including the headdress and accessories, and the choreography of the dance. Taken out of the ritual context, the exact type of a mask can therefore no longer be clearly determined.

The object Anthropomorphic mask “mbuya” with the object ID 3048720 was last part of the auction 98th Auction at March 26, 2022 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 88.

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.