This is the rating and price for Lwalwa Mask Shifola Dr Congo African, 20th century

Description : A mask from the Lwalwa. The Lwalwa have produced some of the most sweeping and dramatic masks in all of the Congo Basin, which are best appreciated from the side or profile. This particular Lwalwa mask is known as shifo, Shifola or Tshikulukulu which means owl whose beak is said to have inspired this type of mask. Shifola is a male mask recognized by its short and rounded nose.The dancer would hold a piece of cord between his teeth which passed through the mask and was knotted in a hole under the nose. The large nose serves as the central sculptural form with square eyes on either side. In general, , Lwalwa masks are used as dance masks at the end of initiation periods and after circumcisions to celebrate new adults in the society.The Lwalwa live in a fertile but isolated region, near the confluence of the Kasai and Lueta rivers and, despite their historical ties to the Kete, a sub-group of the Kuba, they have developed a unique and easily recognized style. Their artistic tradition is limited almost exclusively to masks, with statues almost unknown, and their pieces are scarce. The Lwalwa lived originally in parts of the old Lunda Empire, but they refused to submit to Lunda rule and moved south. Today they are politically aligned with the Salampasu, Mbagani, and Kete. Some elements of the famous warrior masks of the Salampasu can be found in our example, like the bulging forehead, rectangular eyes, and large nose. The mouth and delicate upward curve of the chin set them apart, however. ,Recommended Reading:F. Neyt, TRADITIONAL ARTS AND HISTORY OF ZAIRE, pp.201-209Timmermans, P. ‘Les Lwalwa’ in “Africa-Tervuren” 13, 1967.J. Cornet, “A Survey of Zarian Art”. 1978.
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