Kongo Yombe mask, DRC - Lot 101

Kongo Yombe mask, DRC African Yombe masks were used by the diviner nganga diphoba and by members of secret societies. According to Marc Léo Félix, this type of mask, of which there are several variations, is called Khimba. Chocolate and black patina, abrasions, chips 24 x 25 cm Sold without base A clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the southwest of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities. The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by the ntotela king. Their kingdom reached its apogee in the 16th century with the ivory and copper trade and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary with codified gestures in line with their vision of the world. Source: "le geste Kongo" Ed. Musée Dapper and "Trésors d'Afrique" Musée de Tervuren; "L'Ame de l'Afrique" s.Diakonoff.