You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to show your appreciation for African Art. Maybe you are looking for something a little extra to highlight a mud cloth pillow, a little statue that sits on a table or maybe something to fill that nagging blank corner on the wall!
Our small masks are perfect! They are low cost but the best part is that they are Authentic! These items were not made for the trade. They have been gathered after actual use during public festivals!
This set includes a BaSongye Mask:
The BaSongye of Southeast Zaire have local rulers, the Sultani Ya and an influential secret society, the Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe. The most famous mask created by the Songye, the Kifwebe, is worn in connection with the secret society. The mask can be either male if a top head crest is present or if displaying a plain coiffure, female. The mask offered is a female mask. Female masks essentially reflect positive forces and appear in dances held at night such as lunar ceremonies. The mask has the powerful capacity to heal by means of the supernatural force that is thought to be housed in the mask itself.
Dimensions: 8 inches long x7 inches wide. This measurement includes the feathering.
This set includes a larger BaLuba Mask:
The BaLuba of the southern part of the Congo empire was founded in 1585. At its peak over 1 million people paid tribute to the Luba king. Kifwebe masks also attributed to the Songye people were used in a Luba dance called "makaye a Kifwebe'' which means "dance of the mask." The Kifwebe was used when the chief of the village either dies or was newly appointed or when an important dignitary arrives at the village. The facial components include a wide and pronounced nose, oversized eyes with enlarged eyelids and a protruding box like mouth. This mask is female as evidenced by the round shape and the lack of a frontal head crest. The mask has been tastefully pigmented in shades of tan, reddish brown, brown with black.
Dimensions: 9 inches long x 7 1/4 inches across
This makes for a wonderful African accent piece!
Please click photo for enlargement!
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