Help with carved mask

If anyone can help with information on this mask it is appreciated. I do believe this was worn as you can see stains on inside from sweat and saliva. Also areas worn from being removed. Has red and white pigment in lines

 

it's a lighter wood that's been stained.....with stain.
No spit , no sweat , no signs of wear at all.

 

@komokwa have to disagree

 

Your mask looks like a version of a Songye "kifwebe" mask from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it is atypical in several respects. Traditionally, they are worn in connection with the Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe secret society. Such masks usually have rectangular, rather than circular, protruding mouths (though not always), and a vertical band rising from the nose to the forehead. This band is flat on female kifwebes, and becomes a crest in male masks.
Here are some examples for comparison:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312287


https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/169088


http://www.douglasyaney.com/jc1167-main.htm


https://www.africaandbeyond.com/kifwebe-mask-songye-people-d-r-congo-details.html

To me, your mask looks like an inauthentic copy of a kifwebe.

 

Thanks @2manybooks you wouldn’t say Luena (Lwena) Angola market collector trade

 

Not sure I understand your comment/question.

 

@2manybooks luena masks....and you said not authenticity carved correct?

 

I see some similarity to Lwena/Tchokwe masks in the treatment of the eyes, but not much else.
In my opinion, you see this sort of indeterminate mixture of styles in carvings that were made for sale.

 

Thanks as always @2manybooks

 

@Crim000 I stopped by 2manycats office the other day, and saw a mask he has that looks very similar to yours (I had forgotten he had it).

So I was inspired to do a bit more research.

I still think both masks were made for sale rather than actual use. But I think they may be simplified versions of a Kuba mask called Ngaady a Mwaash. I have found several examples that share features with yours and 2manycat's, such as the basic elongated shape, the arched eyebrows, the puffy eyes, the geometric designs on the cheeks and chin, the treatment of the nose, and on some the circular protruding mouth. Most of the examples I found were on auction and gallery sites that did not have what I would consider good provenance, rather than well documented masks in museum collections. Here are some of them:

https://www.africadirect.com/masks/...gaady-a-mwaash-painted-congo-african-art.html

https://www.catawiki.com/l/30195863...ign=Ethnographic&TribalArt-COM&utm_term=local

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/other/ku...wry-shells-beads-metalheight-10/a/645-48268.s

https://carlsengallery.hibid.com/lot/20930975/kuba-mask-with-raffia/?tab=0&q=&ref=catalog

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/tribal-art/kuba-democratic-republic-of-congomask-total-2-/a/5277-70298.s

https://africanartmarketplace.com/product/kuba-ngaady-a-mwaash-mask/