Treasure of the month
Mask of the Luvale
Studio R. Asselberghs - foto F. Dehaen, KMMA Tervuren ©
Object type: mask
Materials: wood, resin, hair/fur, vegetal fibre
Legend: This mask of the Luvale of Zambia is a caricature of a white man who can be recognised by his pointy nose and stiff moustache.
Place of collecting: Zambia
Culture : Luvale
Date of acquisition: 2002-10-22
Inventory number: EO.2002.2.41
Many peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa have used, and sometimes still use, masks for ritual, political or festive purposes – the one not necessarily excluding the other.
The mask must be considered as a whole which includes the object – the mask itself – but also the dancer, the costume and the complete visual manifestation.
Nowadays, masks have lost there lively appeal in our museums, as they are most often only represented by faces made of wood.
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