Kumu Painted Nsembu Mask

Carved with abstract features and an elongated face, this painted mask was once worn by an elder of the Kumu people, a Bantu ethnic group in Central Africa. Known as nsembu, such masks were used during initiation rites and divination practices, wherein the mask embodied the diviner's spirit. In contrast to the gently curving face shape, Kumu masks are carved with distinctly square facial features, often with sharp teeth. This fantastic mask is finished with a subtle pattern of painted dots atop a now richly aged surface.