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Lot 184A
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20th C. African DR Congo Budja Wood & Raffia Dance Crest - Mythical Bird
20th C. African DR Congo Budja Wood & Raffia Dance Crest - Mythical Bird
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Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Budja, ca. 1900–1999 CE. A flat, plank-like wooden blade rises from a thick collar of palm-fiber fringe, the whole crowning a cap woven from braided rattan strips. The stylized form, with its hooked, beak-like silhouette, likely evokes a bird or fowl that held mythic weight for the Budja, a small people settled along the Lualaba in northern Congo. The dark wood carries the smooth wear of handling and use; beneath it, a dense skirt of plant-fiber tassels would have swayed with the dancer's movements. Worn atop the head of a masked performer, a crest such as this animated ritual fertility ceremonies and was carried to secure good fortune for the hunt. Function and form unite here in an object made to move, to be seen aloft above the crowd, embodying a creature of communal significance. Size: 13.8" W x 22.8" H x 9.5" D (35.1 cm W x 57.9 cm H x 24.1 cm D); on included custom stand: 30" H (76.2 cm H).

The Budja dance crest remained essentially unknown to the wider world until the 1980s. The form entered international awareness through a remarkable circumstance: during an official state visit by King Baudouin of Belgium to the Congo, a group of Budja performed with these crests before the monarch, and only then did the objects come to the attention of collectors and scholars abroad. This late "discovery" makes the type a relatively recent addition to the canon of Central African dance regalia, and accounts for why well-documented examples remain comparatively scarce.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 171714

  • Condition: Good. Expected age wear with some nicks, scratches, and abrasions as shown. Light fraying to raffia. Otherwise, very nice with rich patina.

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by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
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$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000