Kifwebe Mask
CultureSongye
Dateca. 1900-1925
MediumWood and kaolin
DimensionsOverall: 14 1/4 × 8 × 5 1/2 inches (36.2 × 20.32 × 13.97 cm)
Credit LineGift of Shirley and Barnett C. Helzberg Jr.
Object number2013.42.54
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionAbstract mask with linear design on face, rounded chin and forehead, lidded eyes, geometric nose and square mouthProvenanceWith Pierre Dartevelle (b. 1940), Brussels, Belgium, by 1996 [1];
Purchased from Dartevelle by dealer Marc Leo Félix, Brussels, Belgium, stock no. FX96265, by November 23, 1996-January 21, 1997 [2];
Purchased from Félix by Shirley and Barnett C. Helzberg, Jr., Mission Hills, KS, January 21, 1997-2013;
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2013.
NOTES:
[1] According to dealer Marc Leo Félix, in email correspondence with MacKenzie Mallon, Specialist, Provenance, February 13, 2023, NAMA curatorial files.
[2] Félix’s invoice has a different stock number (FX96139), but the accompanying object documentation includes number FX 96265. The latter number is also written on the inside of the mask.
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