Mask "kifwebe"
Click here to view a larger version of the imageLot: 313
93rd Tribal Art AuctionMask "kifwebe"
D. R. Congo, Songe
Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
---|---|---|
Hermann Sommerhage, Duisburg, Germany | H: 18.1 inch | This object is not available anymore. |
wood, plant fibre, base
This variant of a "kifwebe" mask of narrow form and with a broad striped pattern in black, white and red, is located by Marc Leo Felix to the eastern Songe, which live along the Lualaba river.
"Kifwebe" masks basically depict supernatural beings, such as ancestor spirits "katotoshi" visiting their descendants. They belong to an association which bears the same name, "bwadi ka bifwebe".
Felix, Marc L., Beauty and the beasts, Brussels 2003, p. 43, ill. 24a