Kuba - DR Congo

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Estimate € 280 - € 350

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Kuba helmet mask from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, carved in wood with copper, brass and animal hair, about 35 cm high and in good condition; provenance Colección privada.

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Description from the seller

It is a helmet mask with a broad, rounded forehead and slightly sunken cheeks. Some sources claim that it is
the head of a pygmy. In fact, it could be that the character corresponds to a specific member
of the Chwa pygmies—one of the numerous pygmy groups of hunter-gatherers
who inhabit territories close to the Kuba villages—and that it was made known by King Miko
Mimbul. According to other traditions, it is a representation of a prince with hydrocephalus. Some say
that the image is of a Ngesh who traditionally appeared among the initiates.

Provenance: Berthe Hartert collection
Argiles Collection, Barcelona

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