Bone maskette "lukungu", early 20th century ·  D. R. Congo, Lega · ID: 3049770

Description

rest., base

Very beautiful work with incised decoration consisting of spots and circles; two holes at the lower rim for the attachment of fibre beard.

A stylistically closely related example entered the collections of the Ethnographic Museum Antwerp in 1955 (AHDRC 0026713). Another is in the holdings of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren (AHDRC 0143124).

Small “lukungu” maskettes made of bone (or ivory) are considered to be the most significant insignia of all “bwami” grades. They are given to members of the highest initiation level “lutumbu lwa kindi”. “Lukungu” ornaments are passed on from generation to generation, symbolising the continuity of the lineage.

The object Bone maskette “lukungu”, early 20th century with the object ID 3049770 was last part of the auction Sale 100 at April 15, 2023 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 76 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,700.

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

Cameron, Elisabeth L., Art of the Lega, Los Angeles 2001, p. 217