African Art Club

Female Kifwebe Mask.
Songye, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Wood, pigments and raffia.
The grooved concave face with a protruding un-pierced mouth beneath a broad nose and slit-like crescent eyes. The blackened triangular nose continuing as a band at the centre of the convex forehead, the face carved all over with curving parallel grooves painted and repainted with different colours. The original raffia costume is attached to the pierced rim of the mask.
Height 44cm.

Cf. Dunja Hersak: Songye Masks and Figure Sculpture. 1985.