Mask – Wood – Pende – Congo DRC

Spectacular Pende mask from DR Congo.The triangular face with open mouth, eyebrows formed by a continuous strip, rounded forehead with scarifications on the cheek, headdress with three vertical projections.

The Pende people of the DRC are grouped into numerous territorial groups, the two most important being in Kwilu (Western) and Kasai (Eastern) Pende. Several clans are consolidated under the rule of a chief (Djigo) whose main role is that of mediator with the ancestors. Even though the society is matrilineal, the sculptor’s profession is transmitted from father to son.

Pende art styles vary widely, with a more abstract, geometric style in the east and a more naturalistic one in the central area and to the west.

Good condition with traces of tribal use. The mask displays a coiffure divided into three parts.

Provenance: former private German collection.