English description below
CONGO DRC
Beautiful Idimu LEGA Mask
Beautiful, very expressive mask, with a "closed" mouth and a typical heart-shaped face, highlighted with kaolin.
Mask reminiscent of the one published in "Lega. Ethics and Beauty" page "Lega Art - Grandeur and Humility" page 109 and that of page 108 for the very raised round eyes
This type of mask was used in the context of the Bwami cult, an association which organized the social structure and ensured the stability of the Lega community.
The Lega are a Bantu forest people of Central Africa, established in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the provinces of South Kivu and Maniema.
Features:
OBJECT TYPE: Mask.
ETHNIC GROUP: Lega - Warega
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Democratic Republic of Congo
(ex Belgian Congo, ex Zaire).
MATERIAL: Wood
DIMENSIONS: Height 21.5 cm.
CONDITION: Average
See photos.
No base
- Lega. Ethics and Beauty in the Heart of Africa. Daniel P. Biebuyck. 2002. KBC. - Lega Jewels from the Benoît Rousseau Collection. Viviane Baeke, MRAC and Benoît Rousseau. 2013. BRUNEAF. - In search of the meaning of Bwami, through a collection like no other. Viviane Baeke. Undated. Royal Museum for Central Africa. - The sculpture of the Lega. Daniel P. Biebuyck. 1994. Galerie Hélène and Philippe Leloup- Paris-New-York. - The arts of Zaire, Vol II Eastern Zaire. Daniel P. Biebuyck. 1986 University of California press. - The Art of the Lega of Central Africa, Elizabeth L. Cameron. 2013. Musée du quai Branly. - Lega Culture. Art, Initiation and Moral Philosophy Among a Central African People. Daniel P. Biebuyck. 1973. University of California Press. - The Lega and their art. In the footsteps of a dreamer lost in Congoland. Emile-Alexandre Georges. 2005. Royal Museum for Central Africa. - L'Art Lega - Grandeur and Humility. In the Vallois collection, Valentine Plisnier and Michel Boulanger, 2016 - Sculptures do not speak. The Balega made them speak, Daniel P. Biebuyck Cahiers de literature oral 67-68: 69-81, 2010
- The Warega and the Wabembe. An extraordinary social culture and an astonishing civilization without writing in Central Africa, Alexandre Safiannikoff, 2022, Paul Safiannikoff
- Bela Hein, great initiate of Lega ivories, Bernard de Grunne, 2001
-Lega. Eburnean masks. The ivory masks of the LEGA, Bernad de Grunne, 2021
- Treasures of Africa, Tervuren Museum, collective work, MRAC, 1995 (Notes by Daniel P. Biebuyck)
CONGO DRC
Nice LEGA idimu mask
Beautiful, very expressive mask, with a "closed" mouth and a typical heart-shaped face, enhanced by kaolin
Mask reminiscent of the one published in "Lega. Ethique et Beauté" page "Lega. Ethique et Beauté" page 109 and of the one page 108 for its round eyes very in relief
This type of mask was used as part of the cult of the Bwami, an association that organized the social structure and ensured the stability of the Lega community.
The Lega are a Bantu forest people of Central Africa, established in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the provinces of South Kivu and Maniema.
Features:
TYPE OF OBJECT: Mask.
ETHNICAL GROUP: Lega .
ORIGIN: Democratic Republic of Congo.
DRC (former Belgian Congo, former Zaire).
MATERIAL: Wood
DIMENSIONS: About 8 1/2 Inches high
CONDITION: Medium
Please have a look on the pictures.
The base is NOT included
