Description:

West Africa, Liberia or Sierra Leone, Mende people, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. This is a large wood mask characterized by thin slit eyes, a huge forehead, a delicate nose, and lovely multi-parted coiffure with a sculpted band around it. Scarification marks are on the face. This type of mask is used by a female society within the Mende culture, on important occasions: handing down justice, attending funeral ceremonies, and going through initiation rites. During those initiation rites, the women who are already intiated, the Sande, wear these masks when they greet the newly initiated as they return from three months' seclusion in the forest. In use, the masks have long costumes attached to cover the entirety of the body so that the identifies of the women are not known. Often these masks combine male elements with female elements to show that the women have attained the same amount of knowledge as men. Size: 16.25" H (41.3 cm)

Provenance: the late Nick Poolos collection, Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA acquired before 1970

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#128474

  • Condition: Small areas of inactive insect damage. Nice patina on surface from deposits.

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March 1, 2018 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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