Sale 214 Lot 492

CONGOLESE BAKONGO SPIRITUAL PROTECTION MASK This Bakongo mask from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a powerful ritual object used for spiritual mediation and the enforcement of social order. Carved from wood, the face features a striking bisected or "quartered" paint scheme using white kaolin and red ochre, a color palette that symbolizes the transition between the living world and the ancestral spirit realm. The mask is most notable for its crown of hand-forged iron nails and staples driven into the perimeter of the head, a practice rooted in the belief that each metal insertion "activates" the mask to witness a vow, seal a legal pact, or target malevolent forces. Its open mouth, displaying filed teeth, and wide, hollow eyes—which would traditionally be inlaid with glass or mirrors—are designed to grant the wearer "four-eyed" spiritual vision and to reflect negative energy away from the community. height: (approx.) 11.5 inches
$120-160