Description:

**First Time At Auction**

West Africa, Nigeria, Ogoni, ca. 20th century CE. A charming example of a cane wood dance mask, featuring a face with thin slits for eyes, a wide, toothy grin, and pronounced ears and nose. The hair hangs down in an elaborately-divided coiffure and the face is painted to show scarification and tattoos on the cheeks, near the ears, and the forehead. Small, deliberate perforations around the face and on top of the head may once have held further decoration, like fibers or feathers. The Ogoni encountered European colonists quite late - 1901 was the year they encountered the British - so their artistic tradition retains many pre-colonial elements compared to other nearby cultural groups. The white face paint marks this mask as an "elu", a spirit. Size: 6" W x 10.2" H (15.2 cm x 25.9 cm)

Provenance: Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired prior to 1970

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#113573

  • Condition: Wear to paint as shown.

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June 26, 2017 9:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000