Ngbaka Congolese Mask in Black Patinated Wood and White Pigment, Middle of the 20th Century.
This anthropomorphic mask, from the mid-20th century, was made by the Ngbaka people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa.
The wood has a lovely black patina, decorated with white pigment in the eye openings and circling from the crest of the elongated nose down to the edges of the mouth, as is common in Ngbaka facial decoration. Two small grooves on each cheek of the naturalistic, flattened face also represent the facial scarification used by members of this tribe.
Sometimes used in agricultural ceremonies, these masks, known as ‘Dagara’, were used in the series of initiation rituals known as ‘Gaza’, or ‘that which gives strength’: ceremonies followed by a period of seclusion for the young men who prepare for adult life with the assistance of former initiates, ‘bugaza’.
Dimensions:
Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)
Width: 8.67 in (22 cm)
Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
Location:
Rancho Santa Fe, California
This anthropomorphic mask, from the mid-20th century, was made by the Ngbaka people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa.
The wood has a lovely black patina, decorated with white pigment in the eye openings and circling from the crest of the elongated nose down to the edges of the mouth, as is common in Ngbaka facial decoration. Two small grooves on each cheek of the naturalistic, flattened face also represent the facial scarification used by members of this tribe.
Sometimes used in agricultural ceremonies, these masks, known as ‘Dagara’, were used in the series of initiation rituals known as ‘Gaza’, or ‘that which gives strength’: ceremonies followed by a period of seclusion for the young men who prepare for adult life with the assistance of former initiates, ‘bugaza’.
Dimensions:
Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)
Width: 8.67 in (22 cm)
Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
Location:
Rancho Santa Fe, California
This anthropomorphic mask, from the mid-20th century, was made by the Ngbaka people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa.
The wood has a lovely black patina, decorated with white pigment in the eye openings and circling from the crest of the elongated nose down to the edges of the mouth, as is common in Ngbaka facial decoration. Two small grooves on each cheek of the naturalistic, flattened face also represent the facial scarification used by members of this tribe.
Sometimes used in agricultural ceremonies, these masks, known as ‘Dagara’, were used in the series of initiation rituals known as ‘Gaza’, or ‘that which gives strength’: ceremonies followed by a period of seclusion for the young men who prepare for adult life with the assistance of former initiates, ‘bugaza’.
Dimensions:
Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)
Width: 8.67 in (22 cm)
Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
Location:
Rancho Santa Fe, California