
Description
Cute female miniature mask Songye Kifwebe
The Songye created these masks among the most spectacular in black African art.
The striations which cover practically their entire surface would be a reminiscence of the labyrinthine journey that is the Bukishi initiation (Neyt, 2009, page 362)
The magico-religious power of female Kifwebe masks "bifwebe bakashi" is associated with the moon and reincarnated benevolent spirits (Hersak, 1986, page 40)
Characteristics:
TYPE OF OBJECT: Mask.
ETHNICAL GROUP: Songye - Basongye (east)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Democratic Republic Congo
(ex Zaïre, ex Belgian Congo).
MATERIAL: Wood.
DIMENSIONS: About 6 3/4 inches high (17 cm)
CONDITION: Fair
Please have a look on pictures.
Base is NOT included.
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Bibliographie - Bibliography Songye
Masques - Masks
- Songye masks and figure sculpture, Dunja Hersak London 1985
- Couleurs, Stries et Saillies, Dunja Hersak, dans Objets Signes d'Afrique, Textes réunis par Luc de Heusch, Snoek, Pages 161- 173
- Art et Pouvoir dans la savane d'Afrique Centrale, Constantin Petridis, Fonds Mercator, Cleveland Museum of Art, 2008
- Masquettes Kifwebe, Woods Dawy, Tribal Art Magazine N° 20 Printemps 2008 Pages 102-113
- Songye; la redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique Centrale, François Neyt, Fonds Mercator, 2009.
Fétiches - Power figures
- Songye; la redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique Centrale, François Neyt, Fonds Mercator, 2009.
- Art et Pouvoir dans la savane d'Afrique Centrale, Constantin Petridis, Fonds Mercator, Cleveland Museum of Art, 2008
Boucliers - Shields
- Objets Signes d'Afrique, textes réunis par Luc de Heusch , "Couleurs, Stries et Saillies", Dunja Hersak, s.d. Snoek, Pages 161- 173
- Shields, Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania from the collection Barbier-Mueller Museum, Jean-Paul Barbier, Alain-Michel Boyer, P. Benitez-Johannot, Prestel, 2000
- Boucliers d’Afrique, d’Asie du Sud-Est et d’Océanie du musée Barbier-Mueller, Jean-Paul Barbier, Alain-Michel Boyer, P. Benitez-Johannot, Adam Biro, 1998
- Arts d'Afrique Noire, dans la collection Barbier Mueller, présenté par Werner Schmalenbach, Fondation Maeght, 1989 p264 Notice de Joseph Cornet
- Songye; la redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique Centrale, François Neyt, Fonds Mercator, 2009.
- Songye masks and figure sculpture, Dunja Hersak London 1985
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Reserve: $315.00
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Cute SONGYE Kifwebe miniature female mask Congo Drc African Tribal Art mc 1749
Estimate $400-$500
Starting Price
$150
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Feb 26, 2026 11:00 AM ESTNew York, NY, United States
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