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LOT 2323
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
LEGA WAREGA TRIBE, EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
8 3/4 in. (181 grams, 22.1 cm).
Hollow to the rear with protruding bosses for the eyes, applied fabric to lower edge. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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African Congo Wooden Headrest
Luba Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
A carved headrest formed as two opposed kneeling figures each with an arm on the other's shoulder; rectangular base. 485 grams, 20.5 cm high
Ex Walter Steinberg collection; acquired London art market, 1960s-1970s. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Marka, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Hollow-formed carved mask with heavy brow, small square eye-holes flanking a triangular-section nose, narrow lower face with tassels. 862 grams, 34.5 cm
From Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, West Africa. Private Hampshire, UK, collection of tribal art; acquired in the 1960s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The Marka are a Mande subgroup. This ethnic group is independent from the Bambara but their styles show a strong Bambara influence. The Marka are famous for their masks and puppets. Similar to Bambara's ntomo society masks, Marka masks are generally carved with horns, comb or crest on top of the head, but unlike Bambara masks they are often covered with metal sheeting. -
African Brass Kano Bracelet Pair
Okombo Tribe, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Penannular in form with plain white brass body and cone-shaped finials. 92 grams total, 63 mm each
From Nigeria, West Africa. From an old Derby, UK, specialist collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
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.
