Mask "kifwebe" ·  D. R. Congo, Songye · ID: 3036851

Description

wood, kaolin, black paint, remains of animal hair, pierced around the rim, rep. (breakage in the area of the mouth), cracks, traces of abrasion;
dense parallel striations on the face and the lack of a comb prove that this mask is of female type, called “kikashi”. They represent positive powers and are mainly used at masquerades taking place at night, for example at important moon ceremonies, or in case of the death of a chief.

The object Mask “kifwebe” with the object ID 3036851 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 516 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.

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.