Masque planche · R. D. Congo, Shi · ID: 3042901
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Description
wood, dark brown patina, kaolin, of concave vaulted form, carved with two mask faces on top of each other, reminding of skulls, pierced around rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion.
Present piece looks like a canoe with two stylized heads inside and represents primal ancestors. It reminds of the male/female ancestral plaques of the Nande, Hunde and Kumu. They were placed on an altar in the meeting house and sacrificed to during enthronement rites, and after the death of important clan members.
Littérature comparée
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels 1987, p. 157, ill. 5