Mask · D. R. Congo, Lega · ID: 3032822
Vera und Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany
Description
made of the kneepan of an elephant, dark brown patina, drilled holes around the rim, slightly dam., minor missing parts, base;
Lega masks are “bwami” initiation objects. There are five different types: “lukwakongo”, “kayamba”, “idimu”, “muminia”, and “lukungu”. They serve as important marks of rank, identifying the owners as members of specific “bwami” levels. The “idimu” mask is owned collectively and is kept by an appropriate member of “yananio” or “kindi”. In a major performance , the “idumu” mask is hung on a fence surrounded by the smaller, individually owned “lukwakongo” masks.
The object Mask with the object ID 3032822 was last part of the auction 69th tribal art auction at June 2, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 399 achieved a sales 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.