Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kifwebe mask
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kifwebe male mask
Songye
Democratic Republic of the Congo
First half of the 20th century
Carved wood and pigments
Height: 70 cm – 27 ½ in.
Provenance
Collection Nadya Levi (1929-2021), Antwerp
By family descent
Collection Philippe Vanderpoorten, Brussels
Galerie Frank Van Craen, Brussels
Kifwebe Mask Nadya Levi / Galerie Flak
Price: on request
This type of geometric mask represents a powerful female spirit of the Songye.
The style of this mask is highly reminiscent of cubist artworks.
As stated by Alisa LaGamma (the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), “certain masking traditions of the Congo River basin personify local control of mystical power. Striated face masks known as Kifwebe probably originated in North Shaba, an area inhabited by both Songye and Luba groups. Among the small Songye chiefdoms along the Lomami River, maskers were emissaries of the ruling elite, who relied on the ideology of witchcraft and sorcery to sustain their rule. These Kifwebe members commanded a body of esoteric secret knowledge visually encoded mnemonically in the mask's features. Hierarchical distinctions between a single female mask and an unlimited number of male masks are reflected in color and in sculptural features”.
The style of this mask is highly reminiscent of cubist artworks.
As stated by Alisa LaGamma (the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), “certain masking traditions of the Congo River basin personify local control of mystical power. Striated face masks known as Kifwebe probably originated in North Shaba, an area inhabited by both Songye and Luba groups. Among the small Songye chiefdoms along the Lomami River, maskers were emissaries of the ruling elite, who relied on the ideology of witchcraft and sorcery to sustain their rule. These Kifwebe members commanded a body of esoteric secret knowledge visually encoded mnemonically in the mask's features. Hierarchical distinctions between a single female mask and an unlimited number of male masks are reflected in color and in sculptural features”.
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