Description: wood, pigments, mass, original repairs (chin), base This mask was danced at the funerals of highly esteemed women. The mask honors a woman whose great age, wisdom, and experience elevated her to the rank of a living ancestress, an ideal intermediary between the living and the spirits of the family's ancestors. The appearance of the mask should not only honour her, but also the female progenitor and founder of the clan, who is embodied by the female figure on top of the mask. AHDRC: 0122455 Continent: Africa
Dimensions: H: 98 cm, H: 38,6 inch
Condition Report: See description
Literature: Roy, Christopher D., Land of the flying masks, München 2007, ill. 122 ff.
Provenance: Ilia Malichin, Baden-Baden, Germany Christie's Paris, 11 December 2014, Lot 133 Lucien van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium