Items Similar to Important Fang Mask – Ngil Society Gabon, wood
fibers, mid-20th century
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 21
Important Fang Mask – Ngil Society Gabon, wood
fibers, mid-20th century
$9,563.93
£7,137.79
€8,000
CA$13,192.72
A$14,430.67
CHF 7,598.14
MX$172,287.45
NOK 96,839.37
SEK 88,584.92
DKK 60,946.84
About the Item
This Fang mask from the Ngil society powerfully embodies the refined aesthetics and spiritual intensity of Gabonese ritual art. Carved from kapok wood and partially coated with kaolin, it displays an hieratic physiognomy characteristic of masks intended to combat occult forces and to expose sorcerers.
These masks were carved on the eve of ceremonies and appeared at night, accompanied by ritual speech, codified gestures and dances. Their whiteness, obtained through kaolin, evokes the world of the ancestors and their purifying power.
The Ngil was a male secret society, now extinct, responsible for initiations, ritual justice, and the fight against witchcraft. A true guarantor of social order, the Ngil also played a fundamental role in organizing collective life: determining the seasons, the location of villages, and the conditions for the use of agricultural land. The Ngil ritual was likened to a purifying fire, symbolized by the gorilla.
The Fang people, established across a vast territory stretching from southern Cameroon (the Yaoundé region) to the Ogooué River in Gabon, never formed a unified political entity. Clan cohesion relied on religious and judicial associations such as the So and the Ngil, of which these masks are among the most powerful witnesses.
This mask features an old, matte, velvety patina, with erosions and small chips consistent with its ritual use and age, enhancing its authenticity and presence.
As a market reference, it should be recalled that a Fang Ngil mask, Gabon, late 19th century, made of kapok wood, kaolin, and vegetal fibers, of comparable provenance, was sold at auction in Montpellier (France) for €5.25 million by Bertrand de Latour and Jean-Christophe Giuseppi, an event widely reported by both specialized and general press. This example underscores the museum-level importance and the major recognition of this type of work on the market for early African art.
A rare and powerful piece, ideal for a high-level collection or a museum presentation.
Height including base: 117 cm
- Dimensions:Height: 43.31 in (110 cm)Width: 9.85 in (25 cm)Depth: 8.67 in (22 cm)
- Style:Tribal (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:NICE, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9202248043292
About the Seller
5.0
Gold Seller
Premium sellers maintaining a 4.3+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2003
1stDibs seller since 2023
41 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: NICE, France
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllDan Mask from Ivory Coast, Africa, 1950
Located in NICE, FR
This very elegant Dan mask is well-proportioned with a long protruding mouth from Ivory Coast, Africa. It dates back to the 1950s. The base is included in the price.
Dan masks have...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
$2,485 Sale Price
20% Off
Ndoma Baule Portrait Mask, Ivory Coast, Wood, lacquered patina, Circa 1930
Located in NICE, FR
"Ndoma” Baule Portrait Mask, Ivory Coast, Circa 1930 Wood, heavy wood with deep brown-black lacquered patina.
A superb old hardwood dance mask featuring an ...
Category
Vintage 1930s Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
$4,590 Sale Price
20% Off
Ciwara Bambara headdress in carved wood and basketry, Mali, Early 20th century
Located in NICE, FR
A very pleasing Ciwara crest, singularly small and accompanied by its original headdress, depicting a stylized antelope leaning on a pangolin. The antelope is ridden by a woman, and white horsehair has been added to the tips of the horns. The piece is carefully sculpted, with notches decorating the bodies of the antelope and the pangolin.
Rattan, plant fiber, cowries, wood Very fine velvety mat patina, Circa 1950
An animal called Ciwara is said to have taught the Bambara how to cultivate the land, and during agrarian ceremonies, they recall the myth through the stylized representation of an antelope whose name ci wara...
Category
Early 20th Century Malian Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
Mid-20th Century Ife-Style Bronze Royal Head, Benin
Located in NICE, FR
This rare and unique Ife-style bronze head, dating from the mid-20th century, draws inspiration from the great sculptural traditions of West Africa’s royal arts. Echoing the prestigious effigies of the kingdoms of Ife and Benin, these works embody the symbolic language associated with sovereign authority, lineage, and ancestral commemoration.
Crafted using the refined lost-wax casting technique, it demonstrates remarkable precision and mastery—harmonious proportions, finely worked surfaces, and a dignified presence. The style evokes the renowned Ife heads...
Category
Vintage 1940s Beninese Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Ife-Style Bronze Royal Head, Benin
Located in NICE, FR
This rare and unique Ife-style bronze head, dating from the mid-20th century, draws inspiration from the great sculptural traditions of West Africa’s royal arts. Echoing the prestigious effigies of the kingdoms of Ife and Benin, these works embody the symbolic language associated with sovereign authority, lineage, and ancestral commemoration.
Crafted using the refined lost-wax casting technique, it demonstrates remarkable precision and mastery—harmonious proportions, finely worked surfaces, and a dignified presence. The style evokes the renowned Ife heads...
Category
Vintage 1940s Beninese Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Bronze
Ibedji Statuette – Yoruba Culture, Nigeria, circa 1930 (20th century)
Located in NICE, FR
Ibedji Statuette – Yoruba Culture, Nigeria, circa 1930 (20th century)
This pair of male Ibedji statuettes originates from the Yoruba tribe in West Africa, specifically Nigeria. Amon...
Category
Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
You May Also Like
1950
s Nyamwezi Mask With Inserted Wooden Teeth, Tanzania
Located in London, GB
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....
Category
Mid-20th Century Tanzanian Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
1950
s Lega
Idimu
Mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Located in London, GB
This mid-twentieth century finely carved mask, from the Lega culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displays the typically heart-shaped face of Lega 'Idimu' masks. Traces o...
Category
Vintage 1950s Congolese Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Raffia, Hardwood
Early 20th Century Hand-Carved Wood Tribal Mask from Atoni Tribe Timor
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
This very flat mask originates from the Atoni people of Timor, featuring two very small eye holes. For the Timorese people masks portray both male and female ancestors, worn by warri...
Category
Early 20th Century Indonesian Other Masks
Materials
Wood
Mukinka Mask from the Salampasu tribe, DR Congo, middle 20th century
Located in Bilzen, BE
A wooden mask from the Salampasu tribe called Mukinka.
The mask is covered with copper pieces from 1 x 2 cm and has a beard in vegetal fiber, the top of the head is also covered with...
Category
Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Copper
African Katanda Mask – Lega Tribe, DR Congo – Mid 20th Century
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Bring a piece of African heritage into your space with this authentic vintage Katanda mask from the Lega people of DR Congo. Hand-carved in the mid-20th century, this tribal mask is ...
Category
Vintage 1950s Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Hardwood
Salampasu Mask – DR Congo – Mid 20th Century – African Tribal Art
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Discover the soul of Africa through this authentic Salampasu mask from DR Congo, handcrafted in the mid-20th century. Part of a carefully curated collec...
Category
Vintage 1950s Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Hardwood
