This is the rating and price for Luba Mask, 1996

Description : LUBA MASK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO kifwebe height 13in (33cm) Provenance Lucien Van de Velde, Antwerp/Brussels Merton D. Simpson Gallery, New York Morris J. Pinto Collection, Paris/Geneva/New York Acquired from the above by the present owner Published African Heritage Archives (no. 0179193) Allan Roberts notes, 'Masks such as this are uncommon and are sometimes confused with the better-known striated masks of Songye and related peoples. Indeed, striated masks used by some Northern Luba groups are probably related formally to the more common masks of their Songye neighbors. The stripes may mirror the symbolism that informs Songye masks and may refer to bush-bucks, zebras, and other animals that Luba consider to be ambiguous. Bifwebe is a generic term used by the Luba, Tabwa, and neighboring groups to refer to masks (although it may also refer to the performer and masking society, as it does among the Songye). It is said that traveling performers sometimes visited villages and dance with bifwebe masks by way of entertainment, in exchange for food and gifts. [. . .] Bifwebe apparently were danced at the death of a chief or other important person, or when someone assumed an important political title. [. . .] One is left to surmise that the masks were performed to mark moments of important social transition and transformation.' (Verswijver, Gustaaf, Els De Palmenaer, Viviane Baeke, and Anne-Marie Bouttiaux-Ndiaye [Ed.], Masterpieces from Central Africa, Prestel-Verlag, 1996, p. 176) Finely carved in semi-spherical hollowed form and pierced around the edges for attachments, the large circular eyes pierced at the center with slits and divided by a central ridge that gradually tapers out in trapezoidal form as the nose, pierced underneath with remnants of inserted hair, the pierced open mouth with slight upturn of the upper lip, incised curvilinear designs radiating out from each eye and from the mouth, divided in the center with linear incisions alternating in directions to form a band of triangles, fine, encrusted light brown patina with kaolin filling and accenting the linear incised design, collection labels 'GVR' and '63' on reverse. For further information on this lot please visit the website
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