Anthropo/zoomorphic mask · R. D. Congo, Luba · ID: 3040621
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Provenance
Cornelis Pieter Meulendijk, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDescription
wood, blackish brown patina, nails, the face framed by animal skin with remains of fur, fragment of a costume and old collection label (unreadable) on the backside, slightly dam., minor missing parts (ears, animal hair), cracks, abrasion of paint;
the mask combines anthropomorphic features with animal attributes: the abundant shaggy hair reminds of a lions mane. Zoomorphic masks of the Luba are supposed to represent important culture heroes, or at least to evoke their memory, through their metaphoric associations with particular animals. Some suggest a close association between lions and Luba kings: benign most of the time, always lethal in the hunt.