Anthropomorphic mask - Luba - DR Congo

Anthropomorphic mask – Luba – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa), southeast of the Congo
Culture / Ethnicity: Luba
Material: Carved wood, deep patina and plant fibers
Support: Work provided with its original presentation base, custom-made.

- An exclusive, richly illustrated catalog accompanies the Wirtz Collection, with a detailed note dedicated to each of the works presented. (available on request)

- Unpublished: A dated and signed composition, entitled After the Wirtz Collection, offering a pictorial evocation of the interior of the collection as it might have been represented in 1965.

Provenance

Former private collection of a member of the Wirtz family, Antwerp (Belgium), a family historically active in the travel sector.

According to information transmitted directly by their heir, this object is said to have been brought back from the Congo in the 1960s, then kept within the family.

The family collection was carefully preserved and displayed in a room entirely dedicated, arranged in the spirit of a private cabinet of curiosities, where the works were gathered and showcased in an environment specifically conceived for their presentation.

Acquired directly from the heir, with whom this sale is being conducted in collaboration.

Unpublished: A dated and signed composition, entitled After the Wirtz Collection, offering a pictorial evocation of the interior of the collection as it might have been represented in 1965.

Description & Study of the Work

Anthropomorphic mask attributed to the Luba of southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A form of striking purity. Here, the sculptor seems to have deliberately eliminated all superfluous elements in order to concentrate all the power of the work into a few essential lines. A broad, bulging forehead, two almond-shaped eyes, a long, perfectly vertical nose, an open mouth, and two trilobed relief motifs are enough to construct a face of exceptional presence.

The silhouette is particularly successful. The forehead develops into a broad, continuous curve before the face gradually narrows toward the chin. This construction gives the mask an almost perfect balance between the softness of volumes and geometric rigor.

The eyes are certainly one of the most fascinating details of the piece. Large, elongated, and deeply open, they are surrounded by a fine relief that enhances their almond shape. Their perfectly controlled arrangement creates a fixed, silent, almost unreal gaze.

Between them descends an extremely streamlined nose, reduced to a long straight ridge. Seen from a three-quarter view, its relief appears much stronger and reveals how this sculpture, which seems very simple when viewed straight on, rests on a subtle construction of volumes.

The two trilobed motifs carved on the cheeks introduce a remarkable rupture in this sobriety. Placed symmetrically, they function almost like graphic signs applied to the face. Their lighter surface contrasts with the deep brown-red tone of the wood and immediately draws the eye.

The mouth, simply open in the material, constitutes the final tension point of the composition. No smile, no grimace: only this dark opening that intensifies the enigmatic character of the face.

The patina is superb. Deep, warm, and nuanced, it shifts from the luminous brick-red to areas that are almost black. The tonal differences, ancient abrasions, and visible surface traces give the wood a richness that only a long material history could produce.

At the base of the mask remains a substantial attachment of plant fibers, carefully fixed around the lower edge. It provides a very strong contrast with the almost abstract perfection of the sculpture: to the smooth, controlled face responds a dry, irregular organic matter. Museum collections also preserve masks attributed to the Luba combining wood sculpture and raffia fibers.

It is precisely this opposition that makes the work so beautiful: the extreme sophistication of form facing the rough material.

From the front, the mask possesses an almost absolute serenity. From three-quarters, it becomes much more sculptural: the curve of the skull, the projection of the nose, the relief of the eyes, and the opening of the mouth gradually appear and give the whole an astonishing depth.

International collections document several traditions of masks attributed to Luba artists, in carved and pigmented wood, testifying to the diversity of this production in southeastern Congo.

An object of exceptional elegance, whose strength lies in restraint: no overload, no superfluous effect, only a sovereign line, a deep patina, and a face reduced to the essentials. A sculpture of surprising modernity and magnetic presence.