CC0 · no rights reserved
Face mask
From the collection of National Museum of African Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Human and animal characteristics are brought together in this unusual and fairly rare face mask from the Bembe region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Masks of this type may include birdlike characteristics and/or carved antelope or buffalo horns. The horns on this example are broken, making any such identification impossible. Although its function is uncertain, the mask may have been used in circumcision rites or within the titled association known as Bwami.
National Museum of African Art’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineFace mask. Mid 19th century. Bembe artist. National Museum of African Art, Gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. CC0.
