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A fine Mvondo male mask, Lwalwa maskA perfect cubist mask from the painter Jean-Pierre Hallet's collection
provenance: Wood, pigments, 26 cm Mvondo is a male mask, also with a long nose, but not as long as nkaki, and slightly pointed to mid-forehead From the top, a hollowed diamond-shape face, the prominent nose crossing the horizontal line of the eyes, each of them highlighted by a kaolin line and limited at the rim of the face by a protruding scarification and stylized ears. Protruding mouth. The Hole under the nose allowing to fix a cord, to hold the mask between the teeth during the dance. Coiffure with geometrical patterns. Fine aged patina with white, red and black pigments. .Both the art works of André Hallet and many pieces
from Jean-Pierre Hallet's African art
collections have been sold at international art auctions. The Lwalwa mask belongs to the most inspiring
realizations provided by the African Art. Collectors and artists were early
attracted by its aesthetic qualities and its closeness to abstraction.
The main works of the Lwalwa are their wooden masks; there are four main types, usually painted with the red sap of the mukala fruit, ooccasionally blackened by smoke or dyes. They are all used in the bangongo dance to quiet the spirits, increase hunting success, and initiate bangongo society dancers. They sometimes perform at funerals of high ranking dignitaries. They are danced only at night, so as not to harm women.
Nkaki is a male mask with a pointed nose tapering to the top of the forehead that sometimes becomes a crest on the head (1). Shifola is another male mask with a short round nose (2) and a protruding forehead. (3) Mushika is a female mask with a crest across the top of the head, nose slightly pointed to mid-forehead (3). Mvondo is a male mask, also with a long nose, but not as long as nkaki, and slightly pointed to mid-forehead (4). . (found at lwet ) Southeastern Congo (Zaire) , near the Salampasu, Kete
and Luba. Masks of the Lwalwa, a small group of agricultural and hunting people
inhabiting areas of Angola and Zaire, are used only during the secret male
Ngongo initiation. There are male and female Lwalwa masks. This is a female one
with it's finely pointed nose, the male ones have triangular noses. The majority of Lwalwa art in collections consists of beautifully sculpted masks, characteristically elongated, with prominent noses, rectangular eyes, and a small hole between the mouth and nose, through which a cord is passed in and clenched between the teeth of the dancer to secure the mask on a dancer's face during dances. Both boys and girls go through initiation to become responsible adult members of Lwalwa society . Some statues are also know among the Lwalwa but are quite rare. The overall composition of this fine Lwalwa mask is in perfect balance.
Lwalwa Information request of availability Online books & references: Art Africain - African Art : A Synthesis on the Lwalwa
People, Culture and Art: Bibliography: Pruitt, W. "An independant people: A history of the Salampassu of Zaire and Their Neighbours, " Ph.d. diss. Northwestern University, 1973; Timmermans, P."Les Lwalwa," A. T. 13, 1967.
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African Art curated by: or comment at Buy African Art on Facebook David Norden is a private African art
dealer since 1992 who specializes in important works of art from African and
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of
deep hollowed lozenge form, the abstract face with cylindrical protruding mouth,
long flat vertically protruding nose bisecting the slit eyes framed by C-shaped
ears, surmounted by an elegantly curved coiffure with geometric design; fine
aged patina with red, white and black pigment.
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