312 - HEAUME GIPHOGO (OR KIPOKO) MASK - DR Congo - Pende

HEAUME GIPHOGO (OR KIPOKO) MASK - DR Congo - Pende Mid-20th century. Wood, pigments (red, black, kaolin). Dimensions: H. 34 cm Massive and highly stylized features. The forehead is high and domed. The eyes are represented by long, elongated horizontal slits set within large, domed almond-shaped sockets. The nose, hexagonal and tubular in shape, has two nostrils pierced into its flat front surface. On either side of the face are two long, flat, horizontal ears. The top of the skull is crowned by a small, perforated, cylindrical central dome. The base rests on a wide circular collar resembling a flat, geometric beard. The Giphogo is an important symbol of power among the Pende people. Kept in the chief’s sacred ancestral hut, it was brought out during rituals of the Mukanda male initiation society, among others. Condition: Signs of wear and restoration clips. Research and documentation: Coryse Mwape, art historian specializing in ancient African art. Internal ref.: 692