Helmet Mask – Wood – Kuba – DR Congo

Great Bushoong Bwoom Royal mask.

This mask is generally called a Nyet mask. Horns were sometimes added to a mask for the image of power and strength.

There are more than twenty different types of masks that function within the men’s initiation society.
Bwoom’s specific identity varies according to different versions of the myth. He may represent the king’s younger brother, a person of Twa descent, or a commoner. Embodying a subversive force within the royal court, the Bwoom masquerade is performed in conflict with the mask representing Woot. Good condition with traces of tribale use. The right seemed to be restored in the past.

Provenance: Justin Barthels (1934-2021), gallery owner Maastricht (NL). Ex owner of a Salampasu mask DR Congo Estimated 60.000 – 90.000 USD by Sotheby`s. Source: (https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/africanoceanic-n08858/lot.189.html)