Lega tribe, DRC

8" H X 3 1/2" W X 2 1/2" D 

A precious, small-size treasure, this "passport mask" would have been carried by tribal members when they travel, both for tribal identification and for the power of a mask in a portable size. It features the natural, white kaolin patina, as wisps of the beard it once wore. This piece was acquired by a missionary in the Congo in the early 1960s.