Mid 20th Century African Beaded Portrait

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A massive example of a Kuba Bushoong Moshambwooy piece. Standing on a a custom stand for immediate display.

For a … Read more A massive example of a Kuba Bushoong Moshambwooy piece. Standing on a a custom stand for immediate display.

For a long time people used to call this type of item moshambwooy, but there is a substantial difference between the two. Examples of Royal Moshambwooy mu Shall are very rare to find. Most of the so-called Moshambwooy housed by public or private collections are of Ngongo workmanship type named Mukyeem. They are both decorated with a lot of cowrie shells and beads. On Mukyeems, the forehead is extended by a long, central, trunk-like appendage (sometimes with two offshoots) suggesting an elephant's tusk. Attached to the end of the trunk is raffia fibers, which can be replaced by a bright red, tuft of parrot feathers. Moshambwooy is usually topped with a high structure decorated with feathers. There is no elephant tusk-like on moshambwooy. See less