Menu
EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBPende Mbangu Mask - Twisted Face & Raffia Headdress
Lot 57e
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Categories
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,000 - $1,800
Absentee vs Live bid
Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pende people, ca. second quarter of the 20th century CE. A haunting embodiment of Pende belief and performance, this mbangu mask presents a powerful visual narrative of illness, misfortune, and the unseen forces believed to cause them. Carved from wood and crowned with woven vegetal fiber cloth bound in black and russet raffia, the mask's contorted visage is rendered with striking asymmetry. The left side, coated in dark pigment, droops markedly - the eye set lower, the mouth twisted, and the cheek pitted with scar-like indentations. In stark contrast, the right side remains unpainted, its features upright, forming a vivid black-and-white duality. Among the Pende of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, such masks are performed in masquerades that dramatize affliction, with dancers limping on canes and wearing humped backs pierced by arrows - a reference to sorcerers' invisible projectiles. Size: 8.8" L x 9" W x 10.4" H (22.4 cm x 22.9 cm x 26.4 cm); 10.7" H (27.2 cm) on included custom stand.
The contrasting pigments speak to the Pende worldview in which good and evil, health and sickness, beauty and disfigurement are locked in constant tension.
While the mbangu's precise origins are obscured by oral tradition, enduring interpretations tell of a man who fell into fire during an epileptic seizure, or of one stricken by paralysis through sorcery. In performance, the mask is not a vehicle of ridicule but a lesson in compassion - reminding the community that misfortune may strike anyone. Rooted in deep ritual history yet evolving into new forms over the 20th century, the mbangu remains a potent emblem of resilience, caution, and communal empathy.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired in 2010 via descent; ex-private collection of Ralph T. Coe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, purchased in April 2007; ex-Taylor Dale Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#196113Old, native repair on proper right side with break line visible and some chipping to bottom rim. Some tearing and fraying to headdress with a few small areas of loss. Otherwise, excellent presentation with liberal remaining pigments.Condition
- Shipping Info
-
All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Fine Arts will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please ask before bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.
-
- Buyer's Premium
