Rare anthropomorphic face mask

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Description

wood, colour pigments, base

Masks attributed to the Luluwa are relatively rare in Western collections, and because of their forms and styles are diverse, attributions are often tentative.

One style category comprises face masks with large concave eye sockets and intricate geometric patterns painted on their surface. They usually have small mouths with pursed lips.

One example of this particluar style is a mask collected locally by M. van Baelen at the beginning of the 20th century (Petridis, 2018, p. 194, fig. 168 / AHDRC 0033129).

The present mask shows great formal and stylistic similarities with the van Baelen mask and can thus also be assigned to this style category.

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Comparing literature

Petridis, Constantine, Luluwa, Brussels 2018, p. 187 ff Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels 1987, p. 88

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