A Ngabaka bird mask, Democratic Republic of Congo, 19th century. Used in rite of passage ceremonies. Carved from a lightwood, this mask depicts a bird with a large hooked beak. The mask has a rounded head and a wide neck, the neck features two chevrons, the first pigmented with red and the second coloured black. A ground of white kaolin pigment remains. Mask height 37.5 cm, width 23 cm, on stand height 59 cm