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LOT 2333
African Wooden Ceremonial 'Maiden Spirit' Mask
PUNU TRIBE, EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
14 3/8 in. (851 grams, 36.5 cm).
A wooden mask with traces of white facial pigment and a raffia collar. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
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 'Forest Spirit' Face Mask
Kwele Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Carved wooden 'Four Faces Forest Spirit Mask' from Gabon, displaying flat surfaces with whitened heart-shaped faces each with a triangular nose, coffee-bean eyes and small or non-existent mouth; the two large carved horns represent the antelope. 1.2 kg, 50 cm
From Gabon, West Africa. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The faces are usually painted in white kaolin earth, a pigment associated by the Kwele with light and clarity, the two essential factors in the fight against evil. The Kwele occupy a great forest region on the borders of Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. -
Ashanti Bronze Gold Figural Weight Collection
Akan Tribe, 19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Including a figure using a hoe, another carrying a basket on her head and other types. 150 grams total, 49-64 mm
From an old Oxford, UK, collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Salampasu Tribe, early to mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
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. 855 grams total, 39 cm including stand
From 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.
