Old mask "mfondo" · D. R. Congo, Lwalwa · ID: 3041730
sold
EUR 2,500
Provenance
Jo de Buck, Brussels, BelgiumAlain Rime, Bouvignies, France
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 11. Juli 2009, lot 406
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria
Size
H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch
Description
wood, spotty brown patina, remains of kaolin, narrow see slits framed by kaolin, the nose ridge prolonged across the forehead, pierced around the rim., min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, small missing parts through insect caused damage, base;
the small hole underneath the nose was used for attachment of a string, which the dancer held with his teeth in order to fix the mask in front of the face. These masks were used for initiation of the young boys of the “ngongo” society as well as for fertility and hunting rites.
Comparing literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 85
Publications
AHDRC: 0033385