Early Ghost Like Kumu Mask With Kaolin Open Eyes Mouth Teeth Congo Africa

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A large mask from West Nepal with a small grin and bared teeth surrounded with pink powder, faint traces of which can also be se...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A mask from West Nepal with a rather heart shaped facial plane. There are three large iron staples, two of which may have secure...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A mask from West Nepal with slanted almond shaped eyes, very small ears and an oval mouth showing carved upper and lower teeth o...

Early to mid century danced light wood round mask from the Yela or M'bole people, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. Finely carved mask with carved raised eyes and diagonal scarif...

This finely carved Nyamwezi mask displays a powerful facial expression, with small rounded eyes and large ears, a long and slender nose, and an open mouth with inserted wooden teeth....

Carved from a single piece of soft, light wood, this refined Lega lukwakongo mask displays the minimalist elegance characteristic of Bwami society art. The oval face features a long ...

Dan Mask with Inset Metal Teeth – Côte d'Ivoire / Liberia Mid–20th Century or Earlier Wood, Metal Inlay Height:22 cm, width 13 cm Provenance: Private Collection, Europe This strikin...

A Guere wood mask with paint and fiber remnant from We people displayed on a metal stand. The We people (also known as the Krahn or Guere) are an indigenous African people that inhabit areas in nowadays eastern Liberia and western Côte d'Ivoire. Their material culture shares many aspects with the neighboring Dan tribe. Like the Dans, the We use a wide variety of masquerades, which hold important regulatory position within their small, egalitarian communities. Masks are owned by families and used by individual lineage members in contexts of social control, ritual ceremony and entertainment. This type of Guere mask, however, has a distinct fearsome character. The ferocious design with jagged facial expression, bulging tubular eyes are intended for use in mediations between community members, as visual aids during moral lessons, as well as forms of entertainment. By portraying the more frightening nature of the animal, the mask is viewed as powerful and may have been used as part of social control methods prior to the introduction of Western law systems during the colonial period. The mask on offer, based on our examination, appears to be an original one that was used natively instead of reproduction made for the tourist market. The surface presents apparently genuine patina consistent with use. The red paint that highlights the eyes and gapping mouth also appear original. There are small losses flanking the nose ridge by the eyes, extensive surface accretion, remain of some fiber tassels. The back of the mask reveals chisel marks from hand tools and importantly, stain marks that were likely from repetitive contacts from the nose of the wearer. The mask is 9" in height, and it retains an old Sotheby’s catalog...