Rare Grip Mask - medium density wood of the Alstonia family of trees - Mbole - D.R.C.

Rare Grip Mask – Mbole – D. R. C. In good state, but with clear signs of use overall. It dates to the 1930’. On stand Provenance: Ex – collection of Mon Steyaert, Brussels. Bought in his gallery by H. Westerdijk around 1975. Plank – like masks of the Mbole are well-known, often published but nevertheless quite scarce. Here, however, we encounter an even more rare variety, whereby a grip or handle makes the mask portable in front of the wearer’s face. This same solution is also found among some Lega masks. The forehead of the mask ‘countenance is grooved in the way certain Yela and Kela figures are. This mask clearly shows that the arts of the Mbole, Yela and Kela are connected by the Lilwa society of which they share certain elements. The patina of this piece is very strongly present, testifying to long use and great age. Such masks are thought to have been used at funeral ceremonies of important Lilwa society members. Literature: M. L. Felix(ed.) : Congo Masks, Brussels, 2019, fig. 203 on p. 364. Dimensions: 40 x 17 x 6 cm. People /Region: The Mbole and their Neighbours the Yela and Kela live in S. E. Equateur Province of central D. R. C. Material: medium density wood of the Alstonia family of trees. Weight: 0. 345 kg. Sold with handwritten declaration of authenticity by Dr. P. Westerdijk, museum ethnologist and cultural anthropologist specialized, for over 50 years now, in the study of the material cultures in African nations that live south of the Sahara.