Knife with janus faced "kifwebe" - mask · D. R. Congo, Songye, Kalebwe · ID: 3049755
Description
wood, iron,
These knives belong to the context of the “bwadi bwa kifwebe” society.
The masks are completely covered with grooves and their features exaggerated into the manic.
For a knife with an almost identically designed distinctive mask face see AHDRC 0042300. Another one illustrated in Mestach,1985, p. 96, fig. 16.
The object Knife with janus faced “kifwebe” - mask with the object ID 3049755 was part of the auction Sale 100 on April 15, 2023. The object with the lot number 87 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,000 with an asking price of EUR 600.
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
Mestach, Jean Willy, Songye Studien, München 1985, p. 96, fig. 16