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A Superb Songe Kifwebe Mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description
of hollowed form, the square mouth protruding beneath the slender nose leading to a tall crest bisecting the dramatically protruding eyes, the whole insized with straited bands; aged varied patina with multilayered red, black, white, blue and green pigment.
Provenance
Mathias L.J. Lemaire, Amsterdam
Acquired from the above, 1969
Exhibited
Washington, D.C., Museum of African Art, African Art in Washington Collections, May 25, 1972 - January 1, 1973
Museum of African Art, Washington D.C., 1973-1975
Literature
Museum of African Art 1972: 53, cat. 384
Catalogue Note
Cf. Neyt (2004: 360) for a closely related mask. According to Neyt (2004: 361 et seq.) the iconography of kifwebe masks is highly symbolic and contains numerous references to Songe mythology and cosmology. The deep striations painted with various colors recall the metaphysical labyrinth the initiates have to stride during their initiation (ibid: 363).