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LOT 2377
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
MOSSI TRIBE, EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
31 7/8 in. (779 grams, 81 cm).
Comprising an ellipsoid hollow face with parallel tusks; board of pierced geometric elements. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Private Hampshire, UK, collection of tribal art; acquired in the 1960s.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Masks were regarded as the seat of the spirit, but they might also represent the totemic animal of the clan.
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
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. -
African Iron Zandle Spoon
Zande Tribe, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
With elongated dished bowl fitted to a wooden handle bound with wire; belonging to the Zande. 185 grams, 12.5 cm
From Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. Ex property of a Canadian lady; acquired 1970s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Ashanti Bronze Figural Gold Weight Collection
Akan Tribe, 19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Group of three workmen in active poses with handtools. 202 grams total, 51-84 mm
From an old Oxford, UK, collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
