African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask

Teardrop-shaped in plan with two scooped facets, slit eyes; pierced around the edge for attachment. 57 grams, 14.7 cm



From Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. From the Estate of Dr J Bynon; acquired 22 February 1914. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.

Most of Lega masks are sculptures of a human face that are rarely worn over the face and never for purposes of true transformation. The Lega masks can be assigned different uses and meanings depending on the context of the performance. In Bwami ceremonies, masks are attached to different parts of the body, fixed to hat, piled in stacks, hung on fences, held in the hand, dragged on the ground, and occasionally worn on the forehead with the beard draping over the face of the wearer or arranged on a miniature palisade. Participants in most rites display their masks as a group in conjunction with particular dance movements and aphorisms, which vary depending on the context in which they are used. Lega masks differ from those used in many other African masquerades in that while women do not own them, both men and women handle and present them in very similar performances. Masks are among the initiation objects displayed on the grave before being passed to new owners. They are usually passed from an uncle to a nephew.

Carved as an elongated face with feather headdress, inlaid with cowrie shells and with hog tusks to the nose; grip handle in front of the mouth. 1.55 kg, 64 cm



Ex Bury St Edmunds, UK, ethnographical collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.

Carved wooden mask, leaf-shaped in plan with reserved nose and mouth, angled elliptical slots to the eyes, remains of pigment. 802 grams, 45 cm



From Kenya, East Africa. From the private collection of Mr N.J., Leicester, UK; acquired circa 2010. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.