Click image to view full screen
Mask (ndeemba)
✓ Authenticity guarantee · ✓ Specialist condition report · ✓ Insured worldwide shipping · ✓ Private-room viewing
This <em>Mask (Ndeemba) </em>has been featured prominently in the African galleries since making its debut at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1962. Dated to the 1900s, the object is part of a group of eight masks that appear at the end of the circumcision and puberty ritual <em>(n-khanda) </em>for Yaka boys. It would have marked the new status of the boys who became men and commemorated their re-entry into the village. Affirming age-long tradition, such masks are worn by the master of the initiation or by the newly initiated himself.
| Artist / Maker | Anonymous, Yaka-style carver |
|---|---|
| Date | early 1900s |
| Culture / Origin | Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Yaka-style carver |
| Medium | Wood, raffia, paint, and cotton |
| Dimensions | Overall: 47 cm (18 1/2 in.) |
| Department | African Art |
| Type | Mask |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.
Buying at Matchless Pieces
Register, verify your identity, and bid online or in a private room. Buyer’s premium and taxes are shown before you confirm.
