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LOT 2403
African Wooden Ancestor Figure
BEMBE TRIBE, 20TH CENTURY A.D.
14 1/4 in. (960 grams, 36.3 cm).
A hand-carved female figure standing on a base with a columnar body, displaying scarification to the front and side of the face. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa.
From an old Bristol, UK, ethnographical collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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African Wooden Ceremonial 'Forest Spirit' Face Mask
Kwele Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Carved wooden 'Four Faces Forest Spirit Mask' from Gabon, displaying flat surfaces with whitened heart-shaped faces each with a triangular nose, coffee-bean eyes and small or non-existent mouth; the two large carved horns represent the antelope. 1.2 kg, 50 cm
From Gabon, West Africa. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The faces are usually painted in white kaolin earth, a pigment associated by the Kwele with light and clarity, the two essential factors in the fight against evil. The Kwele occupy a great forest region on the borders of Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Kamba Tribe, mid-late 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Carved wooden mask, leaf-shaped in plan with reserved nose and mouth, angled elliptical slots to the eyes, remains of pigment. 802 grams, 45 cm
From Kenya, East Africa. From the private collection of Mr N.J., Leicester, UK; acquired circa 2010. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial 'Maiden Spirit' Mask
Punu Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
A wooden mask with traces of white facial pigment and a raffia collar. 851 grams, 36.5 cm
From Gabon, West Africa. From an old Norwich, UK, collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Punu masks represent idealised female ancestors' faces. The white colour of the mask is genderless and a symbol for peace, deities, spirits of the dead, and the afterlife. It is the predominating colour in funeral celebrations and memorials. The masks were worn during funerals. They appeared also in the magical rites whose function was to unmask sorcerers. The masks have realistic, mostly white but sometimes black faces with protruding pursed lips, globular protruding eyes incised with a curve, high-domed foreheads, and characteristic rigid high coiffures reflecting the Punu women's hair styles. The masks often have an oriental expression, but no such influence has been established. Many Punu masks can be recognized by raised diamond-shape scarification marks on the foreheads and temples.
