Collection Jean-Jacques Rotthier (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent

Public auction:

Tajan, Paris, Arts Premiers, December 21, 2000, lot no 48

This remarkable mask is characterized by a high domed forehead, a pointed chin, and concave eye sockets rubbed with white kaolin. A sharp triangular nose bisects the face above a projecting rectangular mouth. The mask shares striking formal affinities with a well-known Mbagani example formerly in the Jean Willy Mestach collection, suggesting that both works may have been carved by the same artist.

Because Mbagani objects are exceedingly rare in the ethnographic record, their precise ritual functions remain poorly documented. Nevertheless, their stylistic conventions appear to have exerted a significant influence on neighboring groups. In particular, they share the highly distilled treatment of form found in Lwalwa (Lwalu) masks, characterized by concave facial planes, narrow eye slits, circular ears, and elongated vertical noses. While Lwalwa masks are traditionally associated with hunting and initiation rituals, Mbagani examples were likely linked to local healing practices and the invocation of ancestral protection.