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This is the rating and price for Fang Mask Ngil Society, Mid 20th century



Description : Additional Information: , Well known for their reliquary figures the Fang also danced finely sculpted masks during a number of ritual activities. Among the Fang white-painted masks identified with the Ngil society are known for their elegant abstractions of the human face. Ngil masks have been described as having a 'heart-shaped face' due to the facial features emphasizing refined curves of the orbital ridges above the eyes and the prominent line of the long tapering nose that ended above a discretely mouth carved at the bottom of the chin that completes the abstraction of the face. Ngil masks were worn during initiations and known for judicial and social control activities in searching out sorcerers, a process that ultimately led to their being banned by the French colonial authorities in 1910. A later development among the Fang was the appearance of a mask known as Ngontangan, the head of the young white girl referring to early European women missionaries who arrived on the coast during the nineteenth century. The mask may have had ritual or ceremonial meaning in the past exorcising malevolent sorcerers but appears not to carry significant symbolic weight today. Though few in number the elegant forms and abstractions of the Ngil masks made them very attractive to early modern European artistic sensibilities serving as models for a number of sculptors. While emphasizing its pure forms, the mask's white color also marks its spiritual identity. , , , Recommended Reading: Binet, J. Societes de danse chez les Fang, (Paris, 1972)Fernandez, J. 'La statuaire Fang-Gabon', African Arts, 8, No.1, 1974.Fernandez, J. W. and R. L. 'Fang Reliquary Art: Its Quantities and Qualities.'Cahiers d'etudes africaines, 15, No. 5. (1975)Perrois, L. Statuaire fang, (Paris, 1972)Perrois, L. Sculpture traditionelle du Gabon, (Paris, 1977)Perrois, L. 'Arts du Gabon, Les arts plastiques du Bassin de l'Ogoue', Arts d'Afrique Noire. 1979. Perrois, L. Arts ancestral du Gabon dans les collections du Musee Barbier-Mueller, (Geneva, 1985)Phillips, T, (ed.) Africa, The Art of a Continent, (Munich, 1995)Roy, C. Art and Life in Africa, (Iowa City, 1992)Schmalenbach, W. African Art from the Barbier-Mueller Collection, (Geneva,1988)Tessmann, G. Die Pangwe, (Berlin and New York, 1913(1972)  ,
Price: 0.00 USD It's free to register now to view!
Estimate (low-high) : 750 USD-800 USD It's free to register now to view!

About the lot N° 93943
Title : Fang Mask Ngil Society, Period : Mid 20th century
Medium : wood and pigment
Size : 22 inches H. x 9 inches W. x 5 inches D.
Condition report : Fair to Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage. Water damaged, worn patina, chips, and cracks
Africa Direct, auctioneer, Denver, US It's free to register now to view!
Sale title : Vintage and Contemporary African Art, Textiles, Beads and Baskets
Sale date : 25 Aug 2015 It's free to register now to view!
Sale Reference : Live Sale

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