Mbangu's epileptic mask - Pende - DR Congo

The Pende Mbangu African masks come from the Pende people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and belong to a category of masks known as “illness” masks.

These wooden sculpted objects, often polychrome with a strong contrast between white and black areas, stylize the face distorted by infirmity, paralysis, or epilepsy, traditionally considered the result of a bad spell or sorcery: white symbolizes the hope of healing, black the disease or malevolent action.

Presented by auction houses such as Christie’s or Lempertz, these masks testify to a highly distinctive aesthetic conception, where asymmetry and distortion are expressed through powerful forms, sometimes viewed by specialists of modern works as a recomposition of the human face.

In Pende culture, the Mbangu mask is worn during ritual dances – notably in festive or initiation contexts – in order to teach compassion, remind of human fragility, and conjure away malignant forces.

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