This Lega mask, carved in a light wood, has been decorated with kaolin powder, now mostly worn away, leaving ruminates to areas around the eyes and nose. All the holes have been burnt through and the top part of the mask, above the eye-brows, has been decorated with scorched markings.
The mask was field collected in the mid 1990's when gallery owner Bryan Reeves was living in East Africa, then shortly after sold to a UK private collector. The two pieces came together, the purpose of the pouch being to store the mask when not in use and to parade slung over the owners shoulder.
Small masks ('lukwakongo') are used for identification and initiation in the Lega 'Bwani' society and sometimes worn on the body or are more commonly hung on a fence at the entrance of the initiates compound together with the larger 'lukungu' masks.
H: 18cm (mask)
W: 10cm (mask)
Ex Private Collection, UK
Estimated Period: Mid-20th Century (Or Before)
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