Mask "mbuya"
D. R. Congo, Pende
not available anymore
Provenance
Guy Schraenen, Antwerp, BelgiumSize
H: 18,5 cm (mask)
H: 7.3 inch (mask)
Description
wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, kaolin, bonnet and remains of a costume form raffia bast, hairdo with dark plant fibre, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, base.
Mask type called “the female mask” or “gambanda”. The dancer dresses like a beautiful young girl liable to become the trophy wife of a high-status male. The female mask dances to the rhythms of comtemporary popular dances and performs little comedies with a mirror and comb to suggest her vanity and preoccupation with appearance.