Large Yaka Mask - Mukanda – Kongo – Drc - Origin

Mask used in Mukanda ceremonies. He has an oval face with an open mouth that reveals his teeth. The nose is long and turned upwards. It symbolizes virility and also refers to the bird's beak. The eyes are inscribed in ovals and painted blue. On top of the head is placed a superstructure representing a bird nesting with its eggs. The polychromy is very well preserved and retains a beautiful shine. The mask has kept its raffia collar. Wood, raffia, fabrics, pigments. Yaka people, Popokabaka territory, Kwango province, Democratic Republic of Congo Provenance: collected in the 1950s by a man named Kibabi and sold in the 1970s to a Belgian painter then by descent. 110 cm high and approximately 50 cm wide