Lele Mask, Democratic Republic Of The Congo

Wooden face mask featuring a face with a tubular mouth and a scarified face. It is covered with a pigment that gives it a brown-orange hue. There are traces of blue pigments on the scarifications. He kept his raffia and fabric headdress and his pearl and cowrie decorations. Lele masks are heavily influenced by their Kuba neighbours. However, they are much rarer. They appear during the funerals of chiefs and during certain initiation rites. Cracks and slight losses at the level of a scarification and the headdress.
Lele people, Democratic Republic of Congo
Period between two wars.
H: 35 cm
Provenance: Former Belgian private collection - Expertise Jos Humblet