This imposing ivory mask is a miniature masterpiece from the Lega group, of what was once Zaire. It is deceptively simple in construction, yet hiding great technical and aesthetic control over the medium. The maskette is oval in shape, the inferior angle being slightly more sharply-pointed than the superior. The apex of the head is decorated with incised dots, possibly denoting the Bwami skullcap. The centre of the face is surrounded by a heart-shape of incised dots, which serve to emphasise and frame the features. The eyes are the traditional “coffee bean” slit shape, with an elongated low-relief nose that reaches the length of the face to a tiny, incised mouth. The ground is highly polished, with a more glossy finish on the most protuberant parts of the face, consistent with extensive handling. Viewing the piece in lateral profile emphasises the dynamic nature of the carving. The piece is carved far more “in the round” than it at first appears, using the natural shape of the tusk from which it is rendered. The edges of the ivory have been rubbed smooth through use and wear, while the untouched areas are dark with age.

The Lega people are amongst Africa’s best-known carvers and artists. Currently settled in the Kivu province of the eastern DRC, they believe themselves to be descended from an eponymous ancestor who migrated into the area from what is now Uganda. They are also known as Warega and Balega, based on corruptions of their actual name by neighbouring groups and Arab traders, respectively. They live in small villages and consider themselves parts of lineages, although to outsiders the “Lega” group is a well-defined unit. They are further defined on the basis of their modes of subsistence. The western Lega settled in the forest (malinga), where they rely on hunting and gathering, while the eastern groups live on poor soils, further denuded by their mode of slash-and-burn agriculture.

Lega government is based along the lines of a gerontocracy; and balanced very finely between leading members of different lineages. The Lega believe in a trio of gods named Kinkunga, Kalaga and Kakinga, and that when they die they will enter a subterranean afterworld known as Uchimu. Social life is structured by three main social institutions: family and kinship (ibuta), circumcision rituals (ibuta) and the Bwami society. Of these, the latter is perhaps the most powerful. It is centred on the guidance of young people to moral maturity, although it also fulfils a range of other political socio-political, economic and artistic functions. Much of the paraphernalia produced by the Lega pertains to the workings of the Bwami society. Examples include initiation objects – that are sometimes ground away and the resulting dust used as a healing device – isengo (lit. “heavy things” used in healing), binumbi (publicly visible insignia), bingonzengonze (“things of play”) and the large category of sculpted objects/assemblages known as bitungwa. Within the latter there are numerous sub-categories along the lines of size, material, ownership and type. This applies to all manner of objects; for our purposes, there are five categories of mask.

Each of the five categories of mask – lukwakongo, lukungu, idimu, muminia and kayamba – pertains to a different Bwami rank. Rather than wearable items, they are representations of faces or expressions of concepts that have nothing to do with concealment of identity (the true meaning of the term “mask”) and everything to do with rank, narrative or function within the Bwami ceremonial system. They can be piled up, scattered about, displayed on fences, worn on the arm or forehead or simply carried in the hands. The current piece is a superb example of a lukungu mask, small ivory masks that can only be owned by Bwami members who have attained the rank of Lutumbo Iwa Kindi (Kindi is the highest of the five ranks). They are not worn, merely oiled, carried about and displayed. They are placed on the grave of the owner, and then it may be inherited by the oldest son. Their significance is so great that initiates to this rank are not given an explanation of its purpose, the assumption being that they already have the knowledge within themselves.

This is an exceptionally beautiful and important piece of African art, and a credit to any collection.