Mask (mbuya)
Artist Unidentified
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Medium/TechniqueWood, pigment, cloth, raffia
DimensionsOverall: 33 x 23 x 21 cm (13 x 9 1/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2693
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
This mask of the mbuya type belongs in the context of Pende men's fraternities that performed masquerades for the entire community. Although the costume is missing, this work can be identified by its horned coiffure with receding hairline. It represents pumbu, the "executioner," a man who killed another human being and thus commands fear and respect.
Provenance1970s, sold by an unidentified African merchant in Cambridge, MA, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
