A wooden mask - Lwalwa - DR Congo (No reserve price)

Lwalwa mask, Kasai region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Surface covered with metal sheets, copper-colored, with a reddish-brown patina mixed with green oxidation, incl stand. This Lwalwa (or Lwalu) face mask from the Kasai region is characterized by a highly geometric design: the face, carved with concave planes, is dominated by a long, triangular, protruding nose, eyes reduced to two narrow horizontal slits, a cylindrical mouth with very prominent lips, and a pointed chin; a wide, flattened headdress, decorated with incised motifs, further accentuates the face’s architectural design. The surface appears to consist of a wooden core partially covered with metal plates or sheets—likely copper—secured by small visible fasteners, and features a significant reddish-brown patina mixed with green oxidation, while the hollowed-out interior and eye openings indicate that this is indeed a mask intended to be worn. This geometric stylization and the emphasis placed on the nasal profile correspond to the Lwalwa artistic vocabulary, in which several categories of masks are distinguished notably by the shape of the nose, often likened to the beak of a bird, particularly the hornbill. From an ethnological perspective, field sources traditionally associate these masks with the male initiation rites of the Ngongo or Bangongo society, as well as with ceremonies related to hunting and the appeasement of spiritual powers; some were later incorporated into public dances and dry-season performances. The object should therefore not be understood as a simple portrait, but as a visual construction that transforms the human face into a ceremonial presence, straddling the boundaries between the human, animal, and spiritual worlds... References selected Paul Timmermans, “Les Lwalwa,” Africa-Tervuren, vol. XIII, nos. 3–4, 1967; Marc Leo Felix, 100 Peoples of Zaire and Their Sculpture: The Handbook, Brussels, Zaire Basin Art History Research Foundation, 1987; Joseph-Aurélien Cornet, Zaire: Peoples, Art, Culture, Antwerp, Fonds Mercator, 1989; Marie-Louise Bastin, Introduction to the Arts of Black Africa, Arnouville, Arts d’Afrique Noire, 1984; Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan, African Art, Paris, Citadelles & Mazenod, revised and expanded edition, 2008. Some of the information and photos are generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history documents. All information and photos are protected by copyright. Inv. No. MAZ29987 Informant Wassiu

Estimation:€275

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