This clap mask bought in 1955 by Mister Kegel-Konietzko is quite rare and in addition an extremely perfectly maintained piece. The
Biombo, a tribe originating from the ethnic group of the Kete with only 5000 members, live in the southwest of the former Zaire at the rivers Lulua and Kasai. The
Biombo style is very similar to that of the
Kete and the
Bakuba, but much more expressive. Ornamentation and abstractional interpretation remind one already of the masks of the eastern neighbours, the
Pende. This type of mask was used in the course of initiation rites, and always, if members of the tribe ascended a rank within defined order circles.
With its pure style, impressive design and its completeness this intact mask represents an absolute rarity, whose appearance will cause a sensation on the German market. It was bought in the village Sungi Munene in the district Mweka Kasai. Its age is reckoned to be around 1930.
Info-Link:
Boris Kegel-Konietzko 
