Round mask "kifwebe", around 1910/20 · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3040971
Hans Reinmöller, Ratingen, Germany (1994)
Description
light wood, blackish brown patina, drilled eye holes, covered with grooves in concentrical semi circles symmetrically arranged on both face halves, slightly dam., minor missing parts and scratches, abrasion of paint, traces of old age;
such masks were performed in funerals of important persons and during other rites of transition and transformation. The etymology of “kifwebe” , the name of a spirit, is to chase away, or put to flight, death.
The object Round mask “kifwebe”, around 1910/20 with the object ID 3040971 was part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction on May 27, 2017. The object with the lot number 433 achieved a sales price of EUR 500 with an asking price of EUR 400.
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Comparing literature
Volper, Julien, Autour de Songye, Montreuil 2012, p. 108, ill. 45 Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 87, ill. 32