Female Face Mask (Mbuya ya Mukhetu)

Early/mid–20th century

Central Pende
Bandundu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

Since the mid-20th century Pende masquerades have mainly been organized for entertainment, but they were previously charged with fostering communion between the living and the dead. Such performances occurred when the millet was sowed or harvested or when epidemics threatened the community. This female mask is adorned with a wig of small raffia braids. The maker has also evoked the local practice of beautifying the skin with a mixture of camwood powder and oil.

Status: On View, Gallery 137
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Pende
Title: Female Face Mask (Mbuya ya Mukhetu)
Place: Democratic Republic of the Congo (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1900–1950
Medium: Wood, pigment, and raffia
Dimensions: 29.2 × 36.2 cm (11 1/2 × 14 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Neal Ball in honor of Richard Townsend
Reference Number: 2018.125

Afrikaanse sculpturen uit de collectie van C. P. Meulendijk, exh. cat. (Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde, Rotterdam, 1967), pg. 57 (ill.).
Réne S. Wassing, African Art, Its Background and Traditions (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1968), pg. 73, pl. 40 (ill.).
Christie’s, The Meulendijk Collection of Tribal Art, sales cat., Christie’s, London, October 21, 1980, lot 157.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde, Afrikaanse sculpturen uit de collectie van C. P. Meulendijk, 1967–1968, pg. 57, cat. 34/02.

Cornelis Pieter Meulendijk (died 1979), Rotterdam, by 1967 [see Afrikaanse sculpturen uit de collectie van C. P. Meulendijk, 1967]; sold, Christie’s, London, Oct. 21, 1980, lot no. 157, to Michael Wyman Gallery, Chicago; sold to Neal Ball, Chicago, Oct. 1984; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2018.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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