Kuba - R.D. Congo

It is a helmet mask with a broad, rounded forehead and slightly sunken cheeks. Some sources claim that it is
the head of a pygmy. In fact, it could be that the character corresponds to a specific member
of the Chwa pygmies—one of the numerous pygmy groups of hunter-gatherers
who inhabit territories close to the Kuba villages—and that it was made known by King Miko
Mimbul. According to other traditions, it is a representation of a prince with hydrocephalus. Some say
that the image is of a Ngesh who traditionally appeared among the initiates.

Provenance: Berthe Hartert collection
Argiles Collection, Barcelona