Description : wood, white earth pemba, red pigment, brown patina, plant fibre cord, ovoid flat form, slightly asymmetrical compressed facial features summarized underneath arching brows, small sagittal crest, massive work of carving, the backside just slightly hollowed, slightly dam., minor missing parts (rim of forehead area, eyes), abrasion of paint. Only litte is known about the usage of Vuvi masks in Central Gabon. They know a mask type which represents the spirit being moghondzi and which - announced by the sound of drums - appears only by night. According to J. Bonhomme these moghondzi are dead ancestors coming back to visit living people. Their presence is suposedly good, but their direct contact can harm, provoke illness or mental diseases. After usage, the masks were kept in special huts, together with further ritual items. Possibly present mask is a variation of the White masks of the Ogooué.
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Estimate (low-high) : 4000 EUR-8000 EURIt's free to register now to view!
About the lot N° 349 Title : Anthropomorphic Face Mask Size : H: 21,5 cm, H: 8,5 inch Provenance : Albert Schweitzer, Lambaréné, Gabon, collected in situ (1913-1917) Emmy Martin, Alsace Hans Martin (born 1910), son of Emmy Martin Suzanne Leiberich, née Martin, daughter of Hans Martin Family estate until today Literature : Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 605 Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, p. 74 Julien Bonhomme, Le miroir et le crâne, Parcours initatique du Bwete Missoko (Gabon), Paris 2005 Condition report : See description Zemanek-Muenster, auctioneer, Würzburg, DEIt's free to register now to view! Sale title : 87th Tribal Art Auction Sale date : 11 Nov 2017It's free to register now to view! Sale Reference : Live Sale