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LOT 2337
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
BAMBARA TRIBE, EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
19 1/2 in. (1.47 kg, 49.5 cm).
Carved wooden elongated mask representing an animal head with wide open snout, round ears, small round holes for the eyes and six horns above the brow. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Mali, West Africa.
From a Glasgow ethnographical collection; formed 1940s-1950s.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The number of horns make reference to specific characteristics of males (three, six, or 9 horns) or females (four or eight horns) and the androgynous (two, five or seven), making this a male mask of six horns.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Lega Warega Tribe, early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Hollow to the rear with protruding bosses for the eyes, applied fabric to lower edge. 181 grams, 22.1 cm
From Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. From the Estate of Dr J Bynon; acquired 30 July 1911. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Most Lega masks are sculptures of a human face that are rarely worn over the face and never for purposes of true transformation. The Lega masks can be assigned different uses and meanings depending on the context of the performance. In Bwami ceremonies, masks are attached to different parts of the body, fixed to hat, piled in stacks, hung on fences, held in the hand, dragged on the ground, and occasionally worn on the forehead with the beard draping over the face of the wearer or arranged on a miniature palisade. Participants in most rites display their masks as a group in conjunction with particular dance movements and aphorisms, which vary depending on the context in which they are used. Lega masks differ from those used in many other African masquerades in that while women do not own them, both men and women handle and present them in very similar performances. Masks are among the initiation objects displayed on the grave before being passed to new owners. They are usually passed from an uncle to a nephew. -
African Wooden Fertility Figure
Lobi Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Carved in a standing pose with a bald head, legs slightly bent, hands resting on the abdomen and an elongated neck supporting a face with bulging eyes. 425 grams, 35.8 cm
From Burkina Faso, West Africa. From a Glasgow ethnographical collection; formed 1940s-1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Fertility Figure
Baule Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A carved standing figure with an elaborate hairstyle tied back with a band; scarification to the face. 904 grams, 35 cm
From Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. From a Glasgow ethnographical collection; formed 1940s-1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Baule statues are usually standing on a base with legs slightly bent, with their hands resting on their abdomen in a gesture of peace, and their elongated necks supporting a face with typically raised scarification and bulging eyes.
