Mask is from Bembe, Democratic Republic of Congo. This mask is used in acceptance, ceremonies, and hunting rites. The two faces are intended to invoke the all-seeing nature of the mask spirit, a capacity to reconcile opposing forces of nature like good and bad, sun/moon or male/female.
This African mask from Baule, Ivory Coast is wood with red and black paint collected in the middle 1930's and formely collected by Roger Bediat. The symbolic mask represents the birth of twins.
