Mask "mbuya" · D. R. Congo, Pende · ID: 3035900
Randy Kahn, Tarzana, USA
Description
wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, a bonnet made from raffia bast and plant fibres, horizontal brows and eyes with nearly closed lids, pierced around the rim, min. dam., fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base;
masks of the Pende were used to worship the chief and for initiation rites or for sacred purposes of the priests. In particular, this artist has captured the “bedroom eyes” (“zanze”) believed essential to women’s power over men.
The object Mask “mbuya” with the object ID 3035900 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 433 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,700.
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Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 499