Mask

19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1946

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

The nuanced definition of the facial structure, which features delicately arced nostrils and a strong chin, is striking for its lifelike quality. The mask’s surface was covered with mpemba, the white chalk or clay identified with purity, contact with the ancestors, and virtue. Mpemba is also the term for the spiritual realm and land of the dead where the influential forces invoked by Kongo priests reside. Chief among these are bakulu (ancestors) and bisimbi or bakisi (local nature spirits).

Artwork Details

Title: Mask
Artist: Master of Kasadi
Date: 19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1946
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kiniati Chiefdom, Kangu region, Makaipumbu village
Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group
Medium: Wood (Ricinodendron heudelotii Baill.), pigments
Dimensions: H. 10 1/2 in. (26.6 cm), W. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm), D. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing