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Dan masks are so very intriguing!
In the 9th Century, the Dan people migrated from western Sudan region to the north which is part of (present day) Mali. Then, because of conflict, they migrated to Cote D’Ivoire . . . and – present day –…
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- Item Number: M-7797
- Provenance/Origin: Liberia. Dan people. Circa 1960 - 1970s
- Composition: Wood. Vegetal. Paint.
- Dimensions: Mask face: 10" tall x 6" wide. Total length: 15"
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 162.00 USD
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The phurba – aka kila – was and is used as a ritual implement to signify stability on sacred grounds/earth during ceremonies.
As a tool of exorcism, the kila can hold demons in place . . . binding and pinning down negative energies from the mind…
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- Item Number: W-4135
- Provenance/Origin: Kathmandu Valley. Early 2000s
- Composition: Boxwood
- Dimensions: 9.5" tall x 2.25" wide x 2.25" deep
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 155.00 USD
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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…
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- 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
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One of the three known royal masks, the helmet Bwoom is one of the oldest mask types used by the Kuba. These were introduced in the 17th Century by King Miko mi-Mbul.
Most often used in funerals, they are also used…
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- Item Number: M-5805
- Provenance/Origin: Kuba peoples. DRC. Circa mid-1900s
- Composition: Wood. Twine and fabric.
- Dimensions: 15" tall x 14" at widest x 16" deep
- Weight: 7.5 pounds (mask alone)
- Price: $ 835.00 USD
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I have seen many spears from this region of New Guinea during my 50 years of collecting but not quite like this one. The intricate wood carving with its design and detail is quite spectacular.
I believe it is carved from Black Palm. Black Palm is…
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- Item Number: O-8462
- Provenance/Origin: PNG. Blackwater. Circa mid-1990s
- Composition: Wood, perhaps Black Palm
- Dimensions: 43" long x 4" at widest
- Weight: 1.25 pounds
- Price: $ 378.00 USD
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A traditionally styled Phurba. This is a ritual object used to dispel and destroy obstacles. Originally used to mark out the perimeter of the construction of temples and monastery, it is still used in religious and sacred ceremonies.
I have an accompanying older “stunning” case…
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- Item Number: W-2225
- Provenance/Origin: Circa 1980s. Nepal
- Composition: Bronze
- Dimensions: 6" long x 1.5" at widest point
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 95.00 USD Phurba only
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The Guro of Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) have handmade colorful masks for generations. These masks are similar to the Baule….. but the similarity ends there.
The Guro (Kweni) are ancient hunters (more recently farmers) in the valley regions of the Bandama River.
The daily life…
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- Item Number: M-3536
- Provenance/Origin: Cote d'Ivoire. Post 1975.
- Composition: Wood and paint
- Dimensions: 17" tall x 6.5" wide x 4" deep
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 295.00 USD
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Suku people have lived in the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formally Zaire) since the 16th Century. Their economic source is farming but occasionally join in communal hunts.
Suku’s are known for their large carved figures (e.g. fertility figures, crouching fetish figures, ancestral statues…
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- Item Number: M-7086
- Provenance/Origin: Suku People initiation mask. 1960-1970s or earlier.
- Composition: Wood, pigment, grasses/raffia
- Dimensions: 11" tall x 9" widest x 12" deep
- Weight: 4 pounds
- Price: $ 685.00 USD
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Balinese masks are colorful, expressive, and full of spirit . . . spirits from the ancestral world, that is. These spirits or entities are represented in various stories of Hindu texts and – with masks and costumes – used in rituals and ceremonies. However, Balinese…
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- Item Number: M-7209
- Provenance/Origin: Bali Indonesia. Mid-1900s or earlier
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 15" tall x 11" at widest x 8" deep
- Weight: 4.25 pounds
- Price: $ 165.00 USD
