Kifwébé Songye mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo, wood, - Lot 263

Kifwébé Songye mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo, wood, kaolin, H.42cmxW.22cm (plinth). Provenance: former collection of the artist André Van Ghendt, Belgium. The kifwebe type is recognizable by its prognathic parallelepiped mouth, half-closed eyes in the shape of a quarter-moon and the quasi-hypnotic motifs flooding the perimeter of the structure. Bifwebe masks (plural of Kifwebe) remain one of the most famous examples in the corpus of African art. Very early on, they were associated with modern artists for their singular expressiveness and bold power. Kifwebe masks can be divided into two main types: kilume masks for men and kikashi masks for women. Although opposite in the impression they were intended to create in the viewer, these two types of mask, when brought out together, reflected a complementary duality. While male masks had a powerful coercive dimension, embodying evil forces, female masks were seen as symbols of benevolence. Both types of mask also share the initiatory secrets of Buci and Masende sorcery.