Luntu (Bakwa Luntu) Helmet Mask DR Congo African

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Luntu (Bakwa Luntu) Helmet Mask DR Congo African:
$490.00

TitleLuntu (Bakwa Luntu) Helmet Mask DR Congo AfricaType of ObjectMaskCountry of OriginDR CongoPeopleLuluwa or Bakwa LuntuMaterialsWood, paintApproximate AgeMid / second half 20th centuryDimensionsHeight is 20 inches.Width is 13 inches.Depth is 14 inchesOverall ConditionGood. Most ofÂ our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners. Â Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.Â We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.Â Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.Damage/RepairShallow cracks in heads and to the back , some cracks with repairs, paint worn away in small places, stains, scrtches

Additional Information: This wonderful large mask is identified to the Luntu people. Little is known about the Luntu people and their art. This wonderfully carved mask with a raised curved carved horn and a painted face is an imposing mask that served multiples purposes and play important roles during the circumcision ceremonies and uring special events in the royal court.

Tubular shaped eyes are set in sharply defined eye orbits and the mouth has the same form as the eyes. The mask would have been worn placed over the dancers head covering the face totally looking out of the eye openings.The Luntu (also known as Bakwa Luntu) are of Luba origin. They migrated from Katanga or Maniema region to the Luba-Kasai-region. They then moved to the Luluwa region where they now live. Their culture is influenced by both the Luba and the Luluwa. Their religion is the same as for other groups in the region. The Luntu believe in the ancestors. The figures are used as charms, Bwanga, for healing, protection, and to punish wrongdoers. They practice the initiation of young men. Some of the details on this mask such as the horns, the facial features belongs to the Luluwa. Luntu art is sometime confused with that of the Luba and Luluwa. A few types of figures as well as a limited number of the masks are identified to them. This mask is one of the rare type of masks known as Luntu and very similar to the drawing in Marc Leo Felix, 100 people of Zaire and their Sculpture, p.94 and published as Luluwa in TRESORS d\'AFRIQUE. MUSEE DE TERVUREN, fig. 107.

Recommended Reading:

Marc Leo Felix, 100 people of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels: Zaire Basin Art Research Foundation, 1987, pp.93-94; TRESORS d\'AFRIQUE. MUSEE DE TERVUREN

I have examined this piece and agree with the description.
Niangi Batulukisi, PhD.

**78654**

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