Africa. Kifwebe mask, Songye, Democratic Republic of Congo. - Lot 152

Lot 152
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Estimation :
1500 - 2000 EUR
Africa. Kifwebe mask, Songye, Democratic Republic of Congo. - Lot 152
Africa. Kifwebe mask, Songye, Democratic Republic of Congo. With an exceptional dynamic of volumes and lines, this kifwebe mask presents a daring architecture. The proportions are bold and the volumes and lines are exalted by an exceptional dynamic. Highly symbolic, the forms of the Kifwebe mask can be deciphered through mythology and Songye cosmogony. The features of the mask are reminiscent of the metaphysical labyrinth that the initiates had to go through during their Bukishi initiation. Note here the important sagittal ridge that refers to the mountains and the direction of the East from which the sun comes, with which the mask can be associated. The masks were presented as an organ of control reinforcing the power of the chiefs and notables, these symbolic components and the powerful architecture of the mask "expressed a form of beauty mixed with awe and grandeur "*, here striking. Literature: *François Neyt, La redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique centrale, 2004, p. 362. (Africa, African Art, Civilization and ethnic groups).
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