Indigenous art. No’s 277-295

All objects shown are from the collection of the Royal Museum of Central Africa (MRAC), Tervuren-Belgium. Its collection of ethnographic objects from Central Africa is the only one of its kind in the world. It also has in its keeping the entire archives of Henry Morton Stanley which are of great historical value. The Royal Museum for Central Africa came into being following the World Fair of 1897. As part of this prestigious event, and to arouse public interest in the Congo Free State, Léopold II organized an exhibition on the Congo, which was held in the “Palais des Colonies” in Tervuren. The overwhelming success of this exhibition led, in 1898, to the founding of the first Museum of the Congo.

Date of issue: 8 December 1947

Expiration date: 1 August 1960

Design:

Engraving:

Printing: Institut de Gravure et d'Impression de Papiers-Valeurs, Paris

Perforation: 12 x 12.5

Size: 22 x 36 mm

Sheet: 50 (10 x 5)

Marginal inscriptions: sides are white, top and bottom with mosaic and curly letters.

Circulation:

No 277. 10c, orange. Seated king named Bope Kena, 119e King of the Ba-Kuba Kingdom

No 278. 15c, ultramarine. Seated musician, Ba-Tshokwe

No 279. 20c, green-blue. Kneeling female figure holding a cup, Ba-Luba

No 280. 25c, lilac-pink. Ritual double cup for palm wine, Ba-Kuba Kingdom

No 281. 40c, violet. Dance mask from the Ba-Kuba Kingdom

No 282. 50c, olive-brown.

No 283. 70c, green

No 284. 75c, pink-lilac

No 285. 1F, orange-yellow & lilac

No 285A. 1,20F, bistre & gray

No 286. 1,25F, blue-green & pink-lilac

No 286A. 1,50F, olive & carmine-brown. Dance mask from the Ba-Kuba Kingdom

No 286B. 1,60F, blue-gray & blue

No 287. 2F, orange-red & pink-lilac

No 287A. 2,40F, green & black-green

No 288. 2,50F, red-brown & green

No 288A. 3F, blue & black-blue

No 289. 3,50F, clear blue & black-green

No 290. 5F, olive-yellow & pink-lilac

No 291. 6F, yellow-brown & blue-black

No 291A. 6,50F, yellow-red & brown. Dance mask from the Ba-Luba

No 291B. 8 F, gray-blue & green-black

No 292. 10F, violet & brown-lilac

No 293. 20F, gold-red & violet-brown

No 294. 50F, orange & black

No 295. 100F, red-pink & black

Varieties and curiosities:

No 227 lacking ink on the right

No 227 with ink spot (coll. CD).

No 278 smudged

No 286, displaced print

No 286A-Cu Incomplete prints

No 286B-V 1,60Fr, blue-gray & blue

Just in front of the eye is a white spot.

Constant error in the plate?, if so, at what position?

No 288 Smudged red

No 289 Not enough black ink on the press

No 291, white spot at lower right

No 293-V 20Fr, gold-red & violet-brown

No 294-V 50Fr, orange & black

No 295-V 100Fr, red-pink & black

No.295, notice the missing ink at the top of the mask