Ancestor mask "moghondzi" · Gabon, Vuvi / Tsogho / Sango · ID: 3045576
sold
EUR 3,200
Provenance
collected in 1927Pierre Robin, “Arts primitifs”, Paris, France
Size
H: 35,5 cm
H: 14.0 inch
Description
wood, kaolin, hide, base
Masks of the Vuvi are controlled by the “bwete” men’s initiation society.
Masked dancers (wearing “moghondzi” masks) emerge from the dark forest at night, symbolising deceased ancestors pleased with the new initiates—they are said to arrive from the land of the dead, the land of “kombe”, the guardian of the “village of the dead”.
The object Ancestor mask “moghondzi” with the object ID 3045576 was last part of the auction 92nd Tribal Art Auction at June 29, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 181 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,200.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.