A
painter I met in Paris was quite impressed by this mask and made a sensitive
drawing from it
Un rythme d'art premier m'a rattrapé,
je suis le second, je poursuis le premier... J'ai toujours un temps de
retard, je suis à contre temps, en latence et en licence auto-licencié.
Chaque dessin fait 30 x 42 cm.
This Lega mask is coming from the collector John Dintenfass (New
York) This is his description on handwritten note that is delivered with the
mask
NOT
AVAILABLE
Previous owner description dated Nov.28,2010:
This mask Bwami society 21,5 cm. Bon age scarification eye
brows, very sensitive, old wood. Collected from Chicago collector &
received it from a small dealer about 5 years. Interest shape patina &
usage
John I. Dintenfass ny
Lega Mask Dintenfass information request of availability- send email
Lega Bwami
masks-Congo
The Lega people live
nearby the northern end of Lake Tanganyika on the banks of the Lualaba River in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are also known as the Warega.
Living in small village
groups they have no centralized authority but govern themselves through a
communal association known as Bwami. This association is composed of male and
female members who strive to achieve advancement in the various ranks of Bwami
in which advancement is dependent upon the initiates passing through a number of
ranks to achieve status and prestige and recognition as moral individuals.
For the Lega the ultimate
goal is to reach the uppermost level of Bwami where one would be recognized as a
Kindi, one who exercises moral suasion and is a leader in society. The complex
system of instruction, initiation and advancement in Bwami uses masks and
figures to document the various levels of Bwami and to serve as badges
validating the initiate s knowledge of the secrets of Bwami and of their rank.
On the detail picture of the back of the Lega mask from
John Dintenfass you can see the lines in the wood, due to water evaporation of
the wood, and some restorations and the aged patina.
Initiates earn the
privilege to wear and display masks that might be worn on their arms or faces or
simply exposed on racks or on the ground to other Bwami society members
indicating their rank.
Lega masks are usually
carved in a distinctive style, with a heart-shaped concave face with a slightly
protruding forehead, a narrow nose, slit eyes and a slightly open mouth. The
faces of the masks are rubbed with white clay (pembe) each time that they are
used and thereby acquire the white pagination that color the face and enhance
the various decorative designs as in this mask of dots around the face with
lines under the eyes.
Lega masks, known as
Lukwakongo, are relatively standardized in form however masks of particular
importance with ritual and symbolic distinction will have unique forms.
The social and political
life of the Lega (also known as the Warega) is regulated by the Bwami society,
to which both men and women belong. There are seven levels for men, four levels
for women. Most masks where used for initiation to one of the first two
levels of the Bwami society.
The white sections were
repainted with Pembe each time they were danced.
The masks where worn by
the initiates and also displayed on a fence.
Lega culture
For similar examples, and
more information, see ART OF AFRICA by Kerchache et al. Biebuyck, D. Lega
culture; art, initiation, and moral philosophy among a Central African people
1973.
NOT
AVAILABLE Lega Mask Dintenfass price information
request of availability
+32
3 227.35.40
Meet
David Norden at NYC Tribal Art Show 2012 in May