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”.