39 - HELMET MASK - Kasai, DR Congo - Kuba

HELMET MASK - Kasai, DR Congo - Kuba First half of the 20th century. Wood with a dark patina, pigments, plant fibers (raffia). Dimensions: H. 37 cm. A Kuba helmet mask—or one from a peripheral subgroup (Kete or Biombo?)—decorated with concentric hatched bands on the crown, topped by two horns with striated decoration, and featuring a raphia-fiber collar. This type of mask was used in funeral and initiation ceremonies. The horns symbolize a figure of authority and spiritual mediation; the mask’s closed facial expression, with half-closed eyes, signifies the wearer’s trance-like state during the performance. Condition: A crack in the wood on the lower right side of the mask, which does not affect its appearance when viewed from the front. Research and Documentation: Coryse Mwape – Art historian specializing in ancient African art. Internal Ref.: 184