Mask - kifwebe - Songye Luba - Belgian Congo

Authentic Songye Luba Kifwebe mask.
Male mask with a large ridge on the head in a splendid striped pattern.
A very powerful mask that immediately commands attention, one of the most beautiful!
Such a mask is nowadays rare and almost impossible to find unless an older collection goes up for sale, like mine.
Beautiful line work and patina of age.
Notable cubist details, especially the nose and mouth area.
Dimensions: Height 44 cm. Width 17 cm.
The piece has indeed been used tribally, so we see the expected signs of wear but still in good condition.
The holes around show a slight deformation and have therefore been drilled by hand.
The inner side shows a residue of sebum patina. (skin oil from wearing)
The age is estimated around the middle of the previous century, perhaps a bit earlier.

Songye region in Congo:
In the 16th century the Songye migrated from the Shaba region to the Left Bank of the Lualaba river.
Stretching across the Kasai, in Katanga to southern Kivu.
They share ancestors with the Luba to the north and are inseparably connected to them.

The original collector was a Belgian trader in trucks and auto parts and tires; he had his business in Matadi in Belgian Congo before independence in 1960.
I acquired his collection in the late 1980s.
I had already been collecting African art for years at that time, sometimes obtaining an entire older collection like this. It used to be nicely displayed on my farm, but until I moved to a smaller place. For a long time this collection stayed in storage and I recently started taking parts of it out for sale.
I have included some photos of him in his tyre business in Congo; they are not included but I can email them if desired.
Always delivery without a pedestal.