Lega Hand Held Family Mask

Pale, oval and deliberately modest in size. It was made to be held rather than worn.

This hand held family mask is from the Lega peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 20th century, in wood. Among the Lega, small masks were tied to Bwami, a graded association that guided moral life and rank, and these objects were held, displayed and passed along in its ceremonies. The face is whitened, with a dark edge and a heart-shaped brow. Narrow slit eyes sit over a long nose, and round metal studs dot the cheeks and upper lip. Nine and a half inches high.

It looks back at you with very few features, and more than enough.