Kwele / Congo-Brazzaville

Gabon, Kwele Mask / Authentic Piece

Beautiful Kwele mask from Gabon, of the ekuk type.
This heart-shaped Kwele mask reveals itself in a search for formal beauty; the concavity of the volumes gives the face an almost disarming simplicity.
Kwele masks have also revealed the importance of the enclosing horns of the forest antelope, the yellow-backed or red-backed duiker.

Wood and kaolin. Encrusted paint. Signs of use and wear from handling.
Height: 39 cm
Indigenous repair on one of the descending horns.

Estimated antiquity: Mid-20th century

Provenance / Former Italian collection. Milan.
From Casa D'aste, Capitolium Art. Brescia, Italy.

Authentic piece used in tribal usage.

Provenance / Personal collection assembled over more than thirty years.