Mask (Nganga Diphomba)

19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1937

Not on view

Returned to lender

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

Collected by the Belgian Protestant missionary Léo Bittremieux in the village of Kasadi, this mask had been the instrument of an expert diagnostician (nganga diphomba) charged with bringing hidden matters to light. The lifesize face of a hyperalert seer is covered with a heavy layer of white kaolin. The head is crowned with a black cap, while a beard composed of buffalo hide and hair is affixed to the chin. On the basis of its collection history and close formal affinities to stylistically related works, it has been attributed to the Master of Kasadi atelier.

Artwork Details

Title: Mask (Nganga Diphomba)
Artist: Master of Kasadi
Date: 19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1937
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo, near Tshela, Kasadi village
Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group
Medium: Wood (Ricinodendron heudelotii Baill.), pigments, buffalo hide and hair, metal tacks
Dimensions: H. 11 3/8 in. (29 cm), W. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 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