This is the rating and price for 20Th C. African Mende Wood Helmet Mask W/ Raffia Wreath

Description : West Africa, Liberia or Sierra Leone, Mende people, ca. mid-20th century CE. A large and skillfully carved wooden Bundu mask with a lengthy collar of dark raffia. Used during ceremonies associated with the Sande female societies, masks like this example embody idealized female beauty traits and oftentimes represent a revered ancestor of the society. The fascinating vizard presents a skillfully carved visage with a large, projecting forehead above closed, almond-shaped eyes, a narrow nasal bridge leading to a broad nose with flared nostrils, a petite smile, and a pointed chin, all flanked by a pair of naturalistic ears and capped with a bulbous headdress with 3 curved horns. Size (with raffia): 9.3 W x 32.5 H (23.6 cm x 82.6 cm), 35.5 H (90.2 cm) on included custom stand, size (without raffia): 7.9 W x 18.4 H (20.1 cm x 46.7 cm), 35.5 H (90.2 cm) on included custom stand. A pair of decorative bands adorns the area below the headdress, one featuring a repeated pattern of coffee bean-like motifs and the other comprised of tightly incised parallel striations organized in a zigzag design. The massive head is supported by a thick neck, showing several folds of flesh - one of which fit with slit-form eye holes for the wearer - while the wreath of dark raffia is strung to the ovoid opening at the base via a series of annular drill holes. This type of mask is traditionally 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 initiated, 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 are complemented by long costumes attached to cover the entire body so that the identifications of the women remain anonymous. Often these masks combine male elements with female elements to show that the women have attained the same amount of knowledge as men. Similar examples exist in the Vatican Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection 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. #163749
Price: 587.25 USD It's free to register now to view!
Estimate (low-high) : 800 USD-1200 USD It's free to register now to view!

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