Face mask "mbangu" · D. R. Congo, Pende/Wongo · ID: 3038212
not available anymore
Provenance
René David, Zurich, Switzerland (1976)Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Alain Naoum, Brussels, Belgium
Size
H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch
Description
wood, brown patina, darkened kaolin, slanting eyes and brows, the face halves painted in different colours, fine knotted raffia bast bonnet with a tuft of grass fibre above the forehead, min. dam., minor missing parts, paint rubbed off, base;
this mask is the depiction of a highly regarded hunter who has been stricken with facial paralysis. In performance, the “mbangu” mask is danced with a whole cast of character types, from clown to sorcerer and prostitute. The black and white painting refers to the scars of someone who fell into fire due to epilepsy or some medical condition.
Comparing literature
Herreman, Frank, To cure and protect, New York 1999, p. 20 f., 9-11