Mumuye shoulder mask, Nigeria Africa. Palm mask, Mumuye. Woo - Lot 99

Lot 99
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Estimation :
600 - 800 EUR
Mumuye shoulder mask, Nigeria Africa. Palm mask, Mumuye. Woo - Lot 99
Mumuye shoulder mask, Nigeria Africa. Palm mask, Mumuye. Wooden. Formerly called a shoulder mask, then a palm mask and, more recently, a vertical mask by Marla Berns, this mask was worn on the head and the dancer could see through the opening in the middle of the front. All these masks were, in the 1970s, attributed to the Waja. It turned out, thanks to some later studies, that they were in fact mainly jukun, mumuye and wurkum masks. The scarification marks on the face of this one correspond to those of the Mumuye. The typically masculine hairstyle and ears attest to the fact that it is a male mask. The wear and patina prove its great age. Used by secret societies, Vabong and Vadosong, they appear during agrarian festivals. Ref : Jan Srybol, in Arts du Nigeria, Paris, MAAO/RMN, 1997 ; Marla Berns, Central Nigeria Unmasked. Arts of the Benue River Valley, Los Angeles, UCLA, Fowler Museum, 2011, no. 14.10, P. 442. H. 59cm. (Africa, African Art, Civilization and Ethnicities).
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