Mbuya Pende Mask, Democratic Republic of Congo

Beautiful and ancient Mbuya mask of the Pende people. The face with angular features, the face separated from the forehead by the continuous line of the eyebrows lowering at the beginning of the turned up nose, the slit eyes falling to the heavy semi-circular lids, the mouth with the lowered corners half-open on filed teeth, make part of the classic canons of this type of mask. The whole is enhanced with a lively polychromy, red ocher for the face, black pigments on the angular lines and kaolin on the teeth and on the deep tribal marks that cut the cheeks. He still wears his beautiful original braided fiber headdress. Beautiful old age.
The Pende produced a large number of masks representing various characters and figures, which most often took place during ceremonies related to the circumcision of young men.

Origin
Ex private collection from the south of France.

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