Songye Kifwebe Mask
Zaire
wood
11" height
Provenance:
ex. Marc Riviere, Paris
ex. Merton D. Simpson, New York

This item is from the New York gallery collection of Merton D. Simpson, one of the world's most respected dealers of African and tribal art. Merton D. Simpson Gallery of Tribal and Contemporary Art was established in 1954, with galleries in New York and Paris. For nearly 60 years, Merton D. Simpson has been instrumental in helping individuals and institutions worldwide to build comprehensive, culturally significant collections.

At a time when African tribal and Oceanic art was a mystery to most collectors, Merton Simpson was already forging friendships with tribal leaders and establishing business relationships that allowed him access to highly important objects of unquestionable provenance. Now 83, Mr. Simpson is perhaps best known as an African art expert and gallerist, but he is also an accomplished artist in his own right.

He was one of few African-American painters to receive recognition in the 1950s, and his works were included in shows at the Guggenheim and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His prestigious list of public and private clients ranges from The United Nations (NY), The Menil Collection (Houston), Rockefeller Family Collection (NY) and Helena Rubenstein Collection (NY) to old private collections and museums in Europe. His “eye” is famous, and his expertise is highly respected, not only by numerous museum curators, but also by private collectors around the world. Merton D. Simpson is pleased to offer a selection of hand-chosen museum-quality objects of traditional African art from his gallery in the Nov. 17, 2012 auction hosted by LiveAuctioneers.com.

Good, Old Inventory
This mask embodies the rarer female type of Kifwebe, which, in contrast to the male type, lacks a high comb extended over the center of the head. A Bifwebe (sing. Kifwebe) mask belongs to the accoutrements of the eponymous society that enjoys extreme respect among the eastern Songye, and includes individuals with supernatural powers who are believed to manipulate spirits by means of magical techniques. The masks, supplemented by a woven costume and a long beard of raffia bast, dance at various ceremonies. The holes pierced around the outside of this mask would have been for raffia that is no longer present. The masks are worn by men who act as police at the behest of a ruler, or to intimidate the enemy in case of war. A band of mask-wearers is normally made up of one female mask and several male masks.

Mask, colors and costume all have symbolic meaning. Facial elements are associated with certain animals such as lions, zebras, bushbucks, crocodiles and porcupines, whose particular behaviors are considered intrinsic to the mask. The use of white on the mask symbolizes positive concepts such as purity and peace, the moon and light. Red is associated with blood and fire, courage and fortitude, but also with danger and evil. Female masks essentially reflect positive forces and appear principally in dances held at night, such as during lunar ceremonies and at the investiture or death of a ruler.

Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Kecskesi, Maria, Vajda, Lazlo. “African Mask: The Barbier-Mueller Collection”. Munch, Berlin, London and New York; Prestel Verlag, 2007. Print.