Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
Originating in the ancient state/city Corinth, full sized helmets – like this – were made of bronze and used by hoplite heavy infantry soldiers. Most everything they wore or carried was heavy.
These helmets are well known in their variety of crests and nose pieces. And,…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-9275
- Provenance/Origin: Greece. Circa 1950s. Stand is custom and new.
- Composition: Heavy brass with wood stand
- Dimensions: Mask: 9" tall x 4.5" wide x 7" deep. On stand: 11" tall
- Weight: 3.75 pounds including stand
- Price: $ 98.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
After a long history of forced migration and union with other groups, the Yaka have been an independent society since the 19th century. Living in the northern Congo, the Yaka are primarily hunters, although they also practice small scale farming. The Yaka has a tight-knit control…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-3360
- Provenance/Origin: Northern Yaka. Congo. Circa 1960 - 1970s
- Composition: Wood, pigment, raffia, vegetal fibers and cloth.
- Dimensions: Mask is 21" tall x 7" wide x 10" deep (excluding raffia). On stand: 33" tall.
- Weight: 5 pounds with stand
- Price: $ 595.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
Well known for white-faced masks (Okuyi), the ethnic group that this was acquired from (Mpongwe) has two separate uses for masks like this.
Costumed ceremonies include rites of passage and funerary events.
This mask was used for the later. The typical Okuyi performer wears a…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-3109
- Provenance/Origin: Ogooue River Region, Gabon. Circa 1970s
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 14" tall x 8" wide x 4.5" deep
- Weight: 3.75 pounds
- Price: $ 165.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
Original pieces from ancient Egypt are almost impossible to acquire at a reasonable price. And there are the issues of importing, exporting, authentication and language.
With that said, here is an item that is old but not necessarily ancient.
Isis (aka Aset) – a major…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-1197
- Provenance/Origin: Luxor Egypt
- Composition: Stone with some coloring
- Dimensions: 7.5" tall x 5.5 wide x 2.5 deep
- Weight: 4 pounds
- Price: $ 180.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
The over 2 million Bamana people form the largest ethnic group in Mali and occupy the savannah in the central portion of the country. The Bamana (aka Bambara) kingdom was founded in the 17th Century and reached their height of power in the mid- to late-1700s.
The Marka…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-7539
- Provenance/Origin: Northern Mali. Circa 1940s - 1950s
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 24.5" tall x 8 " wide x 7" deep
- Weight: 4.25 pounds
- Price: $ 190.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
The mythical deity – Garuda – has a ton of spiritual significance in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, Garuda is most often found mounted on the back of Vishnu, as the god’s protector.
Here the Garuda – with a snake in its beak – symbolizes the…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-5924
- Provenance/Origin: Hindu and Buddhist figure. Handcrafted in Nepal. Recent.
- Composition: Bronze
- Dimensions: 14" wide x 9" tall
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Price: $ 295.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
I have run across a few of these “yawn” masks over the last few years and have not been impressed. But this one is different.
This is an artisan’s stunning interpretation of what is supposed to be a satisfying gesture. But with the wrinkled forehead, flared…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-8506
- Provenance/Origin: Bali. Circa 1960s.
- Composition: Hibiscus and horse hair
- Dimensions: 10.5 tall x 6" wide x 3.5" deep... none including the flowing hair
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 58.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
Rangda – a dramatic manifestation of the Goddess of the Underworld, Durga – is the demon queen of the Leyaks. Leyaks are spirit/ghost-like figures in Bali that appear as humans during the daylight but – at night – their head and entrails break off from their bodies…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-9901
- Provenance/Origin: Bali. Circa 1950s
- Composition: Hair, Wood, Cloth, Paint, Metalwork, Mirrors
- Dimensions: 48" long
- Weight: 3 pounds
- Price: $ 275.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
The Dan people – an ethnolinguistic grouping – has presence in the mountainous areas of Côte d’Ivoire and adjacent areas of Liberia. This particular mask is from Liberia and specifically used by the Poro . . . a secret society where only males are admitted.
…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-1763
- Provenance/Origin: Dan. Liberia. Circa late-1900s
- Composition: Wood, shells, cord
- Dimensions: 10" tall x 6" wide (wooden mask only)
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Price: $ 215.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
The Senufo people – numbering between 1 to 1.5 million and aka Siena, Senefo, Sene, Senoufo, and Syénambélé – is a West African ethno-linguistic group consisting of diverse subgroups.
Their masks are varied with a range of materials.
By far the most profound and valuable are…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-0357
- Provenance/Origin: Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast. Circa 1950s or earlier
- Composition: Bronze
- Dimensions: Mask: 12" tall x 6.5" wide x 3" deep. Mask on Stand: 15"
- Weight: 2.75 pounds
- Price: $ 395.00 USD
