Mask "mbuya" · R. D. Congo, Pende · ID: 3032878
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Provenance
Boris Kegel-Konietzko, Hamburg, Germany (1962)Sepp Arnemann, Hamburg, Germany
Description
wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, a bonnet and a chin beard made from raffia bast and plant fibres, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on base;
masks of the Pende were used to worship the chief and for initiation rites or for sacred purposes of the priests. In particular, this artist has captured the “bedroom eyes” (“zanze”) believed essential to women’s power over men. The eyes are relatively small in size and the upper lids curve downwards to create the impression that they are nearly closed.
Littérature comparée
Herreman, Frank, Petridis, Constantijn (ed.), Face of the Spirits, Tervuren 1993, p. 65