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LOT 2343
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
SALAMPASU TRIBE, EARLY TO MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
15 3/8 in. (855 grams total, 39 cm including stand).
Piriform and hollow to the reverse, with white-painted lower face, long nose, a square red-painted mouth with carved teeth; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the frontier between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola, Central Africa.
From a private London, UK, ethnographic collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Salampasu masks were integral part of the warriors’ society whose primary task was to protect this small enclave against invasions by outside kingdoms.
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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Brass Kano Pendant
Lobi Tribe, mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Deltoid in plan and with slight midrib, shank with knop finial for attachment. 21 grams, 98 mm
From Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. From an old Derby, UK, specialist collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Lobi arts also include a wide variety of small human and animal images, implements, and more abstract symbols in copper alloy and iron. Some of these are worn as jewelry and some appear on shrines. -
African Wooden 'Akuaba Doll' Wedding Fertility Figure Pair
Ashanti Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Each with exaggerated discoid head, squat body with stub arms, standing on a conical base. 985 grams total, 36-36.5 cm
From Ghana, West Africa. Ex private Cheshire, UK, collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Among the Ashanti people in Ghana, women hoping for offspring carry these ‘Akuaba dolls’ in their clothes. Traditionally, these ‘Akuaba’ have a large, round, flat head that is reminiscent of its origin as a representation of the moon goddess, which is associated with fertility. Once the ‘Akuaba’ figure has fulfilled its purpose, the mother of the desired child places it on her domestic altar, where it is worshipped in a shrine, or she passes it on to the next generation. -
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.
