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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
Senufo Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Carved with a narrow face, protruding flat nose, slit eyes, an open mouth displaying teeth, protruding ears and scarification; hollow to the reverse. 382 grams, 32 cm
From Bukina Faso, West Africa. From a Glasgow ethnographical collection; formed 1940s-1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Bambara tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
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. 1.47 kg, 49.5 cm
From 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. -
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.
