A Salampasu Zoomorphic Mask with Horns...

Description

A Salampasu Zoomorphic Mask with Horns
Democratic Republic of Congo, c. early 20th century

This rare Salampasu mask is fully zoomorphic in conception, carved as the head of a horned animal, most likely a goat or ram. Its broad forehead supports a pair of horns that curve inward toward the muzzle, creating a dynamic, forward-thrusting profile. The face is compact and vigorous, with diagonal slit eyeholes, a projecting snout and an attached fiber beard. The blackened surface, softened by age and handling, accentuates the mask's sculptural strength. In very good condition, high points rubbed. With a metal stand.

Unlike the more familiar anthropomorphic warrior masks of the Salampasu, zoomorphic examples are exceedingly rare. Although the precise name and function of this type remain uncertain, it would have belonged to the ibuku and mukanda societies, the initiation and warrior associations that oversaw male education, discipline, and warfare. Salampasu masks were renowned for their capacity to instill fear, both among initiates and in neighboring communities; a horned animal mask, with its inward-curving, aggressive horns, would have amplified this intimidating effect while symbolizing virility, combativeness, and ancestral authority.

Provenance:
Marc Leo Felix, Brussels, Belgium (his inventory number on back: F09145)
The Gelbard Collection of African Art, USA
Bonhams New York auction, 11/13/2007, Lot 2593

Publication(s):
Expo cat.: "Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art", edited by Arthur Bourgeois and Scott Rodolitz, New York: Ethnos, 2003:42, #95
Exhibition(s):
USA: "Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art":
- University Park, IL: Governors State University, February 2003
- Krannert, IL: Krannert Art Museum, 26 August-26 October, 2003
- Kansas City, MO: Belger Art Foundation/UIniversity of Missouri-Kansas City, 2004
- Park Forest, IL: Tall Grass Art Association, 2005
Auction(s):
Bonhams, New York, "The Gelbard Collection of African Art", 13 November 2007. Lot 2593

Height: 10 ½ inches, excluding beard



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