Description:

West Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Bissagos Islands, Bidjogo (also Bijogo, Bidyogo, Bidyugo) peoples, ca. mid-20th century CE. This hammerhead shark headdress is one of our favorites; a remarkable piece that symbolizes the strength of this ocean predator! The headdress is constructed from a hand-carved and painted wooden panel with cotton tassels and braided raffia straps - a cotton cloth cushion is tied to the base for padding when worn on the forehead. The front side contains the mouth, incised and painted with teeth, and the rest of the panel is red with white markings. The obverse has hammerhead sharks painted on both sides in black upon white ground, and the ends of the panel had knobs- the shark's eyes! Shark headdresses were worn in rituals of manhood initiation. Size: 25" L x 4" W x 9" H (63.5 cm x 10.2 cm x 22.9 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#173110

  • Condition: Surface wear commensurate with age and use. Fading and chipping to pigments, staining and discoloration. Some fraying to raffia cords and tassels. A rare headdress in overall good condition.

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August 11, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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