Mask
1 of 2
Object Label
The Ngbandi are a relatively small group, numbering less than a quarter million, and their masks are exceedingly rare, though the Ngbandi are prolific sculptors of figures, pipes, and musical instruments. Ngbandi communities are organized into clans led by elders with the aid of the warrior society, the Lombe, which plays an important role in implementing social control on behalf of the elders. Ngbandi masks such as this are thinly documented, though a related mask was found to have been used by Lombe diviners.
William Villalongo has included this particular mask in his collage Re: History—Muses (Artifact 3) nearby.
Caption
Ngbandi. Mask, 19th century. Wood, pigment, 10 1/2 x 6 5/8 x 2 3/4 in. (26.7 x 16.8 x 7 cm) mount (display dimensions): 10 1/2 x 7 x 3 in. (26.7 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.226. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.226_edited_version_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Mask
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Ubangi River region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medium
Wood, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
10 1/2 x 6 5/8 x 2 3/4 in. (26.7 x 16.8 x 7 cm) mount (display dimensions): 10 1/2 x 7 x 3 in. (26.7 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
22.226
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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