Horned mask · D. R. Congo, Sundi · ID: 3040564
sold
EUR 7,500
Provenance
Olivier Le Corneur & Jean Roudillon, Paris, France (around 1968)Jean-Robert Arnaud (1920-2007), Paris, France
Size
H: 46 cm
H: 18.1 inch
Description
wood, black paint, remains of red and white pigment, flat u-shaped facial plane with a T-shaped forehead-nose area, irregular painted, eyes and mouth pierced, old label on the backside “Le Corneur Roudillon Paris”, slightly dam. (nose, horn tips), minor missing parts (mouth), traces of insect caused damage, abrasion of paint, metal base;
for picture of comparable mask see Lehuard, 1993, p. 771.
There are only a few masks known by the Sundi, and only little is known about their usage. They could belong to a variation of the “ndunga” society. Some authors say that they were used in funerary rites wheras others say they belong to diviners.
Comparing literature
Lehuard, Raoul, Art Bakongo, Les Masques, Arnouville 1993, p. 771