Female mask "La belle Madeleine" · D. R. Congo, Songe/Zela · ID: 3035854
Antonio Fiacco, Fehraltorf/Zurich, Switzerland
Description
light wood, whitened with kaolin, black accents, ear ornament with bead, large face with a slightly vaulted forehead and a projection below the chin, “european” facial features: nose with narrow bridge and pointed tip, a small thin mouth, eyes with lowered lids, at the same time provided with tribal marks: tattoos on the cheeks and on the temples, slightly dam. (nose), missing parts through insect caused damage (eye zone, rim backside), fine crack, abrasion of paint, base;
Marc Leo Felix refers to present mask type in a special essay (Brussels 2003) and shows comparable examples. According to him local people call such masks “La belle Madeleine” (supposed to be a Catholic nun) or Mama Maria (supposed to be the Virgin Mary). They depict idealized women, comparable to the more generic female masks, which are always said to represent the spirit of a deceased woman, described as: beautiful, fruitful, powerful, resourceful or just plain important". Clearly the exotic image of Madeleine of Maria can not predate the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when Christian missionaries and nuns arrived in the respective area. Probably these new icons replaced older images of an idealized woman.
Comparing literature
Felix, Marc L., Beauty and the beasts, Brussels 2003, p. 98 f.