Mbangu disease mask - Pende - DR Congo (No reserve price)

Mbangu mask – Pende, D.R. Congo

Here is a Mbangu Pende, a powerful typology loaded with meaning, linked to the themes of illness and the rupture of balance. Everything here speaks: the black/white bipartition, the brutal contrast, and this visual tension that immediately captures the eye.

In ritual practices, these masks sit in a register where one shows what worries in order to better contain it: bodily troubles, crises, disorders (often evoked around epilepsy), and more broadly the fragility of life. The white refers to the altered state, to the world of the “out of norm,” while the black densifies presence, shade, gravity. The toothy, expressive mouth emphasizes the idea of a force that surpasses the individual.

A rare mask in subject matter, and above all fascinating in its formal language: asymmetry, contrast and theatricality — a piece that never leaves anyone indifferent.

Presentation of our house of expertise

Based in Belgium, our house of expertise and sale specializes in African and ethnographic art. A reference seller on Catawiki for more than 8 years, we enjoy a solid reputation and a track record of several hundred sales with a satisfaction rate almost 100%.

We regularly accompany liquidations, successions and dispersals of collections, in collaboration with individuals and families in Belgium and neighboring countries. Our approach is rigorous, transparent and accessible, with sales often offered without a reserve price.

Some pieces that have passed through our hands have joined international private collections and, for some, museum institutions.

Shipping guaranteed within 24 hours, with careful packaging, insurance and tracking.
Contact 7 days a week: we remain available for any question or request for additional information.