The masks below are all SOLD and are left here for reference and educational
purposes.
For unsold Bembe masks GO TO BEMBE STYLE MASKS PAGE
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Mask 42 45 " high SOLD |
Mask 43 38 " high SOLD |
Mask 22 13.5" high SOLD |
Mask 23 14" high SOLD |
Mask 14" high SOLD |
Mask 5 20" high SOLD |
Mask 1 48" high SOLD |
Mask 18 14.5" high SOLD |
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Bembe Style |
 Mask 2 31" SOLD |
Mask 3 SOLD |
Mask 6 SOLD |
Mask 7 SOLD |
Mask 8 SOLD |
Mask 9 SOLD |
Mask 10 SOLD |
Mask 12 SOLD |
Mask 13 SOLD |
Mask 15 SOLD |
Mask 16 SOLD |
Mask 17 SOLD |
Mask 19 SOLD |
Mask 20 SOLD |
Mask 21 SOLD |
Mask 24 SOLD |
Mask 25 SOLD |
Mask 26 SOLD |
Mask 27 SOLD |
Mask 28 SOLD |
 Mask 29 SOLD |
Mask 30 SOLD |
Mask 32 SOLD |
 Mask 33 SOLD |
 Mask 35 SOLD |
Traditional masks and headdresses of the eastern Bembe people of the DRC (formerly Zaire) are recognizable for their concave, cupped orbits around the bulging "coffee-bean" eyes, the masks take several hauntingly beautiful forms.
Elanda masks, from the Elanda male association, most often have a rounded top and a flat bottom, with a spiritual, mysterious, but human face. Some with rounded faces are similar, but those with pointed beak-like chins and small tufts or horns represent bird or animal spirits. Several have multiple sets of eyes, one or two functioned as ceremonial shields.
The second major type are the Kalunga helmet masks, more abstract in form, which represented bush spirits. They were kept in secrecy and brought out for public dances and ceremonies. To aid in their protective power, they had at least two faces and often four.
Neighbors of the Lega people, Bembe men and women share membership in their Bwami asociation, through which members rise through a lifetime of social and ethical deeds.
Although wonderfully carved, most of these Bembe masks show no evidence of age or use and were probably made to be sold.
TRIBE |
OBJECT |
