Anthropomorphic mask "pwoom itok" · D. R. Congo, Kuba / Bushoong / Ngeende · ID: 3051725
Price
EUR 1,000
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance
Provenance
German Private Collection, MunichSize
H: 25 cm
H: 9.8 inch
Description
wood, pigments, feathers, old repair, base
This mask is known as “pwoom itok”, “ishendemala”, “ishyeenmaal” or “shene malula”. One encounters this type of mask among various Kuba groups, including the Bushoong and Ngeende.
What the “pwoom itok” mask represents remains a matter of some speculation, but it may have originally meant to depict a wise elder. The mask is used at the adult initiation rituals of boys.
Comparing literature
Herreman, Frank & Constantijn Petridis (ed.), Face of the Spirits, Tervuren 1993, p. 138