Face mask "mbuya mbangu" · D. R. Congo, Pende · ID: 3046741
German Private Collection (1998)
Lempertz, Brussels, 22 January 2013, Lot 150
Description
wood, pigments, insect caused damage
“Mbangu” is a summary of illness in general and of all the misfortunes that can happen to a person. In some regions “mbangu” represents a man upon whom fetishists have cast a spell.
The white that decorates the face is associated with the white clay of the kaolin, used in all healing rituals. Inversely, the black is associated with sorcery and illness.
The object Face mask “mbuya mbangu” with the object ID 3046741 was last part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction at October 24, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 286.
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
Pende, Collection J. M. Desaive et Ch. Laeremans, Brussels 2009, p. 38 f.