Rare anthropomorphic face mask · D. R. Congo, Lulua (Luluwa) · ID: 3049792
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.
The object Rare anthropomorphic face mask with the object ID 3049792 was last part of the auction Sale 100 at April 15, 2023 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 82 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000.
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.
Comparing literature
Petridis, Constantine, Luluwa, Brussels 2018, p. 187 ff Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels 1987, p. 88