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This is the rating and price for Bichrome Wood Mask



Description : West Africa, Nigeria, Edo (Bini) people, Ekpo society, ca. early 20th century CE. A beautiful hand-carved wood mask presenting a stylized visage and a pair of curved horns, all adorned in white and black pigments. The fine vizard displays downcast, slanted eyes with slits allowing the wearer to see, a flat nose with flared nostrils, and a petite pair of lips held slightly open, all flanked by 2 high-set ears. The horns rise tall above the mask, sprouting from a helmet-form headdress, which held in place by a raised chinstrap. Incised vertical striations decorate the strap. The periphery of the verso is lined with several small drill holes, allowing the mask to be strapped to the costume of its wearer. Size: 6.7 W x 18.5 H (17 cm x 47 cm), 23.5 H (59.7 cm) on included custom stand. Such long curved horns are regarded as quite a beautiful element of the Edo aesthetic and azigho is a special praise name applied to animals that exhibit this trait. This mask is most likely an azigho mask, a type usually used in the Ekpo cult healing rituals. The Ekpo society oversees the welfare of the village and settle disputes. Ekpo members don masks, raffia costumes, and other accouterments to impersonate their ancestors. The Ekpo society also performs rituals for planting, harvesting (in particular the yam harvest), and funerals. This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, ex-Konietzko collection, Hamburg, Germany 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. #167946
Price: 0.00 USD It's free to register now to view!
Estimate (low-high) : 4000 USD-6000 USD It's free to register now to view!

About the lot N° 252B
Title : Bichrome Wood Mask
Condition report : Expected surface wear with a few small chips, as well as nicks and abrasions, all commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, excellent with nice patina and great remaining pigments.
Artemis Gallery, auctioneer, Louisville, US It's free to register now to view!
Sale title : Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art
Sale date : 07 Oct 2021 It's free to register now to view!
Sale Reference : Live Sale

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