Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask")
_200x200.jpg "African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask")
.jpg "African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask")
LOT 2330
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
LEGA WAREGA TRIBE, EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
8 7/8 in. (158 grams, 22.5 cm).
Lentoid in plan with vertical lug for the bose and slits for the eyes; applied hair strip to lower face. [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 of 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.
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.
-
Indonesian Tau Tau Funerary Wooden Head
Toraja People, late 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Carved in the round with large almond-shaped eyes, cruciform channels to upper face and rear, pierced attachment peg beneath. 352 grams, 20.7 cm
From South Central Sulewesi. Ex private Surrey, UK, ethnographic collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ancestor Figure
Bembe Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
A hand-carved female figure standing on a base with a columnar body, displaying scarification to the front and side of the face. 960 grams, 36.3 cm
From Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. From an old Bristol, UK, ethnographical collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Chokwe Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A carved face mask, decorated with lengths of fibre representing hair, with small nose, carved teeth and scarification. 285 grams, face long: 20 cm
From Western Ivory Coast, West Africa. From the late Brian Morley collection, 1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
