Mask (Lukwakongo)
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Object Label
Miniature wooden masks constitute some of the most important insignia of the second-highest grade of Bwami. Generally these miniature masks, known as lukwakongo, have a heart-shaped face framed by a line formed by the nose, the eyebrows, and the planes of the cheeks. The face is whitened with clay, while the forehead and edges characteristically have a glossy brown patina. The holes running around the lower edge of this mask would originally have held a beard made of liana fibers. Lukwakongo are never worn on the face, but are instead tied to the arm or displayed on a fence at Bwami meetings.
Caption
Lega. Mask (Lukwakongo), 19th or 20th century. Wood, kaolin clay, 10 1/2 x 6 x 2 1/4 in. (26.7 x 15.2 x 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Nicholas A. de Kun, 71.173. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 71.173.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Mask (Lukwakongo)
Date
19th or 20th century
Geography
Place made: South Kivu or Maniema Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medium
Wood, kaolin clay
Classification
Dimensions
10 1/2 x 6 x 2 1/4 in. (26.7 x 15.2 x 5.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Nicholas A. de Kun
Accession Number
71.173
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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