Kuba Helmet Mask

The Kuba people of Central Congo were famed for their distinctly geometric styles. While their royalty and religious figures would be detailed in fuller, more natural forms, the people represented themselves with defined angles and lines. The nose, brow, and ears of this mask represent this provincial style. Those features most likely mark this as a funerary mask that represented a beloved family member. The angular ears seen here represent the African aesthetic that informed modern western Cubism.