Mask "lukungu" · D. R. Congo, Lega · ID: 3035655
Pierre Bergé, Brussels, 9 december 2009, lot 42
American Private Collection, New Jersey
Description
ivory, honey brown patina, tribe-typical circle ornaments with central drilling, the mouth is not depicted, min. dam., fine cracks, small missing parts, slight traces of abrasion;
late style;
“lukungu” masks belong to members of “bwami”- society who already have reached the highest level of “kindi”. “Lukungu” means “skull” and should be a hint that the mask is thought to remind of deceased “kindi” members. At initiation ceremonies they were oiled and then displayed on a kind of fence or attached to bigger “muminia” or “idimu” masks.
The object Mask “lukungu” with the object ID 3035655 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 410 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,800.
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.