Rare face mask
D. R. Congo, Bangubangu
sold
EUR 15,000
Provenance
Belgian Collection (since the 1950’s)Marc Leo Felix, Brussels, Belgium
Fred & Jens Jahn, Munich, Germany
Walter Bareiss, Salach, Germany
Neumeister, Munich, 10 November 2005, lot 134
Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, brown patina, red pigment, kaolin, black paint, pierced eyes and mouth, incised linear decor, deepened dot pattern in pokerwork, chin beard, handwritten collection number “FC8603” backside, slightly dam., place of repair at the right rim, abrasion of paint, base;
according to Felix present mask belonged to an initiation society and was danced at the funerals of their leaders. Beautiful detail is a second pair of eyes. Very few sculptures and maks from the Bangubangu have survived. All of them show a variety of stylistic differences, influenced by the neighbouring ethnic groups e. g. the Hemba, the Kusu and the Buyu.
Comparing literature
Publications
Felix, Marc Leo, Maniema, München 1989, p. 181, ill. 46; Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 72AHDRC: 0030932