Bene Lulua Mask Congo Zaire African Art

Description

Title
Bene Lulua Mask Congo Zaire African Art
Type of Object
Carving, Figure, Statue, Sculpture
Country of Origin
Democratic Republic of Congo
People
Lengola
Materials
Wood, pigment
Approximate Age
20th century
Height (in)
17
Width (in)
8
Depth (in)
9
Other Dimensions
31 Inch on Stand
Overall Condition
Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage/Repair
Some oxidation.
Additional Information:
Masks of the Bene and Lulua people are well known for the elaborate scarification patterns worked onto the surface of the pieces. These patterns are identified in some instances with symbolic meaning but must equally be viewed as aesthetic embellishment important to the Lulua. Though banned in the late 1880's scarification has reemerged albeit in a much reduced fashion to again identify the Lulua.
The Lulua, also known as the Luluwa, live in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which produces an enormous number of statues and prestige objects, related both in style and use. The proximity to two huge old kingdoms, the Kuba and the Luba, has influenced almost all of the smaller cultures living in the region. The Bena Lulua produce some spectacular statues, heavy with their unique and precise scarification patterns. Numbering around 300,000, the Lulua have an interesting hierarchical social structure resembling the caste system in India. They worship ancestors, both real and mythic, whose spirits are thought to inhabit the rocks and the trees. They build shrines to house their effigies, and sometimes employ the smoking of hemp in ceremonies to honor them. Their art is somewhat scarce, with statues far more common than masks. The smallest of their figures, carved with bent legs and hands to the cheeks, are thought to represent the burial position used for village leaders. For information and examples, see A SURVEY OF ZAIREAN ART: THE BRONSON COLLECTION, by Cornet.
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