Hello. I have owned a Lega tribal mask for about 15 years. I originally acquired it from Viktor Wynd in Hackney, circa 2010. It cost me £550 at the time. the typically concave face has raised eyelids, sticking out ears, a prominent nose with carved ridges, and a small mouth with metal teeth. Sometimes these masks seem to sell for substantial sums of money, and other times they seem to only fetch a few hundred pounds. I am keen to find out what this one might be worth, if anything much at all, with a potentially view to consigning it.
Acquired from Viktor Wynd in Hackney at the Last Tuesday Society, circa 2010. I do not have any details prior to this.
Hi James,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
You can look at a summary of what these masks have sold for at auction on this site (it's a free site but you might have to register to see prices) https://www.liveauctioneers.com/search/?keyword=Lega%20mask&sort=-relevance&status=archive. According to my expertise with these figures, supported by the results on this page, this would be worth £400-600 at auction.
If you do opt to sell this at auction, I would strongly recommend working with an auction house that has a dedicated tribal/African art department and sales, so as to capitalize on their connections and expertise.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
An antique Lega carved and polychromed mask
Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid 20th Century or earlier
Depicting a face with ridged forehead and incised pronounced nose, inset scooped eyes, open mouth with metal teeth, and cording.
37cm (14 1/2 inches) tall, 33 cm (13 inches) wide, 16 cm (6 1/4 inches) deep
CONDITION: appears to be in good condition commensurate with age
PROVENANCE: acquired from Viktor Wynd, Hackney at the Last Tuesday Society, circa 2010
£400-600*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, and thank you again for using Mearto.
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