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THBEarly 20th C. African Mende Bundu Wood Helmet Mask
Lot 87
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,000 - $1,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Feb 25, 2021
Set Reminder
2021-02-25 10:00:00
2021-02-25 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : American Frontier | Ethnographic | Tribal Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/american-frontier-ethnographic-tribal-art-6449
Featuring historical examples from the American, Spanish, and Mexican frontiers, as well as Native American, Ethnographic, Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring historical examples from the American, Spanish, and Mexican frontiers, as well as Native American, Ethnographic, Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (286)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Liberia or Sierra Leone, Mende peoples, ca. early 20th century CE. An exemplary hand-carved wooden janiform helmet mask boasting a lustrous burnish over a smooth black-painted surface. Capped with a serpent head finial, the unique mask displays two faces peering out from the body of a coiled snake, which is wrapped vertically along the top of the mask and horizontally on its sides. Both faces of the vizard present tranquil countenances, each featuring a petite, open-mouthed smile, a flat nose, and heavy-lidded, openwork eyes under arched brows. A pair of prominent, naturalistic ears flanks both of the round visages, while a geometric pattern has been incised on both faces, perhaps to represent ceremonial scarification. The head of the snake presents a pointed snout with incised nostrils, a straight mouth, and a pair of petite horns. Six annular apertures have been drilled through the periphery of the base. Size: 10.125" L x 9.5" W x 21" H (25.7 cm x 24.1 cm x 53.3 cm)
This type of mask is used by a female society within the Mende culture on important occasions: handing down justice, attending funeral ceremonies, and going through initiation rites. During such initiation rites, the women who are already initiated, the "Sande," wear these masks when the greet the newly-initiated as they return from three months' seclusion in the forest. In use, the masks have long costumes attached to cover the entirety of the body so that the identities of the women are not known. Often these masks combine male elements with female elements to show that the women have attained the same amount of knowledge as men.
Provenance: private Englewood, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Martin Boxer collection; ex-Komer Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, circa 1965
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#160626Snake head has been reattached. Two stable fissures from base up to ears. Expected surface wear with light abrasions, minor nicks, and a few small scratches commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with impressive remaining pigments and lovely earthen deposits throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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