Rare skull mask ·  D. R. Congo, Vili · ID: 3039015

Description

human skull, natural gum, wood, mirror glass, white and black pigment, nose sculpted in wood and fixed with natural resin, tubular cavities modelled around eyes and ears, filled with magical charges and sealed with mirror glass, forehead zone with reddish brown patina, polished, remains of teeth, lower jaw missing, base;
the skulls were initially buried for a relatively short period, then exhumed to be decorated. Like the numerous Vili-Kongo “nkisi” fetishes, they bear magical charges in cavities. But up to nowadays there is only little information about the preservation and ritualization of the extremely rare skull masks.

Comparing literature

Doustar, Martin, Golgotha, The Cult of skulls, Beveren-Leie 2014, p. 26