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
Bordering on Cameroon and Gabon, the Bulu are part of the larger Fang group and share cultural similarities.
UNIQUE? Yes, because the Bulu practice the ngi ritual… where members wear this “gorilla” mask to ward off sorcery and poisonings. This anti-witchcraft society whose leadership is…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-9174
- Provenance/Origin: Cameroon Grasslands, mid- to late- 1900s
- Composition: Wood, Wicker Binding, Kaolin Pigment
- Dimensions: 11" tall x 8" widest x 6" deep
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Price: $ 285.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
During the 13th Century, the Kongo people began their expansion into Gabon, Zaire and Angola. One of the original tribes was called the Vili that now stretches across the coasts of Gabon and parts of the old Zaire.
Nail fetishes (aka Nkondi) are created to carry a…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: S-0427
- Provenance/Origin: Vili / Loango Tribe, DNC. Circa 1980s to earlier
- Composition: Wood, metal, woven fibers, cloth, paint and pigment.
- Dimensions: 32" tall x 14" widest x 11" deepest
- Weight: 24 pounds
- Price: $ 1,350.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
Detail: This is a face mask of the maiden ancestral spirit Makudij with her typical whitened face and serene expression. These masks are usually reserved for important village festivities. The white pigment is kaolin, a clay-based material. Note the back of the top of the coiffure has an extra design…
Continue reading →
- Item Number: M-3548
- Provenance/Origin: Gabon Africa. Circa mid-1900's
- Composition: Wood, pigment, paint
- Dimensions: 12" tall x 6.5" wide
- Weight: 1.25 pounds
- Price: $165.00 USD
Click the photo above for a larger version and more pictures
Beautifully hand carved from Gabon’s Bakota tribe. Many of these masks are made to enhance fertility and/or add luck with hunting and other ventures. Circa late-1900’s. Pristine condition. Stand not included.
- Item Number: M-8909
- Provenance/Origin: Bakota tribe, Gabon. Circa late-1900's
- Composition: Wood and straw
- Dimensions: 18.5" tall x 9" at widest
- Weight: 2.5 pounds
- Price: $325.00 USD
