• A three-quarter view of a ceremonial Kuba 'Bwoom' helmet mask from Congo. The mask is richly decorated with cowrie shells, beads, and fabric, with a prominent forehead and face.
  • A full front view of the Kuba 'Bwoom' mask, showing the entire helmet with its elaborate shell and beadwork decorations on the face, neck, and shoulder flaps.
  • An angled, close-up view of the mask's face and upper torso, highlighting the intricate patterns made from cowrie shells and the details of the beaded collar
  • A top-down view of the Kuba helmet mask, showing the elaborate shell-covered headpiece from above and the large, open mouth
  • A side profile of the mask, showing the depth of the decorations and the materials used on the face, head, and neck flaps.
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Tribal Art & Antiques

Kuba Mask Bwoom Helmet Royal Congo

£750.00 GBP
£750.00 GBP
Sale Sold out
Tax included.

An important Helmet Mask known as Bwoon from the Kuba Tribe in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa circa Mid century. The carved wood mask is decorated with copper plates on the face with additional gold colour plates (from a conserve can) added at later date and lavished embellished with trade beads, cloth with cowrie shells and feathers. The surface and the interior both display good patina.

Bwoom is one of three types of royal Kuba masks and it is used in dancing ceremony that reenacts episodes of the history of the kingdom. Adorned with materials like cowrie shells, beads, seed pods, copper sheets, goatskin, and hair, the Bwoom mask is a royal Kuba mask. It is one of three types of Kuba masks that are considered to be embodiments of nature spirits, known as mingesh. A local interpretation suggests that the Bwoom mask represents a prince who had a neurological condition that caused his head to swell with fluid.

Date: Mid century
Origin: Kasai region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Provenance: Josef Loeb, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Belgium, by late 1970s. Private collection, London.

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