Global Art & Artifacts

ceremonial

Dan Peoples.  Transformational. Distressed Mask.  Cote d’Ivoire

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    The Dan people inhabit the mountainous west-central Cote d’Ivoire and adjacent areas of Liberia.  They are closely related to the Guere peoples to the south.   Masks are the single most paramount form of artwork created by the Dan, creating a bridge between the supernatural and physical… Continue reading

Yaka Ndeemba Mask.  n-khanda / Mukanda Ceremonial.  Northern Yaka.  Northern DRC Congo

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  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

Wayang Gedog Performance Mask. Indonesian Religious Rituals. Wood. Ceremonials.  Bali. Indonesia.

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  Not to be confused with the Wayang Topeng mask used in a dramatic form of dance performances, this mask was used in performances and stories about the kingdom of Janggala . . .  about a love story between a prince and princess.   Obviously not used by the… Continue reading

Deeply Carved Luba Kuba Helmet Mask.  Tribal.  Ceremonial.  DRC.  Congo.

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    Look at the dynamic carvings of this helmet mask.  The high and bulging forehead is quite normal for this ethnic group.  But the depth and symbolism of the carvings is quite extraordinary.  I have spent some time in trying to determine the significance of this… Continue reading

Museum Quality Chokwe Ceremonial Bird Mask.  Angola / DRC.  Africa.

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    An object d’art wooden bird mask, with a quality suitable for a museum exhibit.  Superbly carved by Chokwe artisans to honor divine ancestors.   Acquired from a Pretoria South African Gallery whose owner has direct access to chiefs in the Congo.  Based on my purchases and… Continue reading

Indonesian Ceremonial Topeng Dance Mask.  Wood.  Hand Painted.  Cirebon. Java.

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    This mask was used in a dramatic form of Indonesian dance called Topeng.  Such masks are used to interpret traditional stories concerning fabled kings, heros and myths.   Hand made and hand painted in the mid-1900s and acquired in Cirebon in West Java (about 200 miles east… Continue reading

Marka / Warka Tribal Mask.  Wood and Copper.  Ceremonial.  Mali. Africa.

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  About 2.5 million Bambara people for the largest ethnic group in Mali.  The Bambara Kingdom  was founded in the 17th Century and reached its pinnacle by 1787.  It has always been an agricultural society with cattle rearing a secondary source of food.   In the northern… Continue reading

Wood Cermonial Water Ancestor Spirit Mask, Iatmul Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea

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Detail:  This is a “safe passage” mask and it is displayed in ceremonies to placate and pacify dangerous water spirits (whirlpools, upsetting canoes, pulling paddlers out of the boat, etc.).   Shell eyes and orange accents with a very high forehead and the connection of the nose to… Continue reading

Wood Ceremonial Mei Ancestor Spirit Mask, Iatmul Middle Sepik Papua New Guinea

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Detail:  Very incised Mei Mask from Iatmul.  Lots of painted scrolling ornament on the face and the famous curved nose adjoining the chin feature (with a serpent head at the chin).  The red and white pigment is still present over all the mask.  These masks (also… Continue reading

Copper / Nickel / Gold Gilt Trigug or Kartika Ritual / Ceremonial Axe, Tibet

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Detail:  Ritual axes like this one symbolize disintegration of all worldly good and transformation into a unified positive force. This is much longer than most Trigugs.  This axe is a mixture of copper and nickel with a gold plating.  I secured it from a Shanghai Tibetan antique… Continue reading
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