241164 - Old African Kuba Bena Biombo helmet mask - Congo

Old African Bena Biombo helmet mask from the Kuba, Congo
Size: 22 cm high.
Mask collected in the 1940s by A. Simoens, collector, then stationed at the Kwilu Ngongo sugar company.
This Kuba mask dates from the mid of the 20th century and was purchased in my private collection in 2015, with a certificate of authenticity.

Very expressive african helmet mask from the Kuba, Congo. In the annual Kuba feast three royal masks appear that represent the primal ancestors of the Kuba dynasty. The two brothers Woot and Bwoom fought over the throne and their sister Mweel who later married Woot. Wooden helmet mask, shod with sheet copper, with very nice dark patina, decorated with kauri shells, colored glass beads, nut shells and raphia netting.

The vast Kuba territory, comprising the entire southeastern part of the DRC, as far as Tanganyika and Lake Mweru, is uniform as regards language and culture, but racially mixed. Although the history of the Kuba people is one of violence and warfare, their artistic style is characterized by harmonious integration of organically related forms. The splendid artistic achievements of the Kuba are due to a felicitous intermingling of different racial and cultural elements, and to the high standards prevailing at the court. Kuba arts counts amongst the finest that Africa has to offer. Artists occupied a privileged place in the hierarchy. The Kuba artist carried a ceremonial ax on his shoulder, an emblem of prestige and of dignity of his position. Some apprentices would be recruited from among the deformed, who could neither hunt nor be warriors and who were believed to have a close connection.