Initiation mask – Wood, Copper – Salampasu – Congo

Light wooden mask from the Salampasu tribe of DR Congo. Stunning and frightning Salampasu mask. The wooden mask is covered with thin copper plates and red seeds.

SALAMPASU masks are famous and are characterized by a bulging forehead, slanted eyes, a triangular nose and a rectangular mouth displaying filed teeth. This wooden mask has a beautiful coiffure. It was used for initiation ceremonies related to the warriors` society. (The Tribal Arts of Africa, Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, p180)

The 60,000 SALAMPASU people live on the frontier between the D.R. Congo and Angola.

The mask is in good condition and has a powerful appearance.

Provenance: former private Italian collection.