A fine Mvondo male mask, Lwalwa mask

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.

provenance: Jean-Pierre Hallet (1927 – January 1, 2004)

(photo on the right is ©Tookalook)

Price 4,000€
Lwalwa Information request of availability

Wood, pigments, 26 cm
Mvondo type mask.

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.
Provenance :
Collected by Jean-Pierre Hallet (1927 – January 1, 2004) son of the famous Belgian painter André Hallet.

.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 mask presented here can be compared  to the mask sold at Lempertz for 57,000€ without costs and the Lwalwa mask sold at Sothebys in 2006 collected by Karel Timmermans. (Sotheby's-Paris,5 December 2006. Lot 123) that sold for 24,000€ , and for 84,000$ on May 2007 also at Sotheby's and to the mask belonging to the collection of Willy Mestach (L'Intelligence des Formes, Willy Mestach, Tribal Arts, 2007, Ill. 087).

Price 4,000€
Lwalwa Information request of availability

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.

Enlarge this picture to see other types of Lwalwa masks (©Marc Leo Felix)

 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 abstract face with cylindrical protruding mouth and remains of Kaolin, long flat vertically protruding nose bisecting the slit eyes framed by C-shaped ears, ; exceptionally fine aged patina with , white and black pigment, underlying reddish wood.

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.

We ask potential buyers to make an offer on this Lwalwa mask related to the auction results as mentioned above:
Price 4,000€

Lwalwa Information request of availability

Online references:

Art Africain - African Art : A Synthesis on the Lwalwa People, Culture and Art:
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/africart/pages/lwet.htm

Bibliography:
Denolf, P. Aan de rand van de Dihese, Brussels 1954;

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.

Price 4,000€

Lwalwa Information request of availability

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Lwalwa mask information request of availability