Loading, please wait...
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
African Brass Kano Bracelet
Okombo Tribe, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Comprising a plain round white brass penannular body with clubbed ends. 92 grams, 75 mm
From Nigeria, West Africa. From an old Derby, UK, specialist collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
This is a Kano Bracelet from northern Nigeria. The bracelet is the most common money form in Africa. It served the important monetary functions of portability and wealth display. Variants of this form were accepted virtually everywhere in Africa. -
African Decorated Brass Cuff Bracelet
Benin, late 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A highly patterned round bronze body with plain disc shaped ends, radiating studs to the outer edge. 59 grams, 74 mm
From Benin, West Africa. Ex Surrey, UK, ethnographical collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Fang Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
A large carved mask with a white heart-shaped face and a decoration to the forehead. 764 grams, 43 cm
From Cameroon, Central Africa. From the collection of the late Professor R M Hicks, OBE. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The Fang used masks in their secret societies. Fang masks, such as those worn by itinerant troubadours and for hunting and punishing sorcerers, are painted white with facial features outlined in black. Typical are large, elongated masks and featuring a face that was usually heart-shaped with a long, fine nose. Apparently, it has been linked with the dead and ancestors, since white is their color. The ngontang dance society also used white masks, sometimes in the form of a four-sided helmet-mask with bulging forehead and eyebrows in heart-shaped arcs.
