Mask – Wood, Nail – Bakongo – DR Congo

Powerful Bakongo Vili mask from DR Congo.
Stretching across the coasts of Gabon and the D.R. of Congo, the VILI, also called Loango, are famous for their artistic diversity.

Along with their neighbors, the Yombe, the Bakongo people had faced masks that were associated with the spirit world. They were less common than their better known fetish or power figures, but some share the magic cavities and inserted nails of those figures.
Good condition with a beautiful patina of tribal use. Great use of black and white pigments (symbolise day and night).