Anthropomorphic helmet mask
Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke / Bangwa
sold
EUR 1,500
Provenance
El Hadj Amadou Yende, Foumban, CameroonKarl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, Germany (acquired from the above in the late 1960s or early 1970s, prior to 1973)
Rolf Kunitsch, Münster, Germany
Werner Zintl, Worms, Germany
Size
H: 40 cm
H: 15.7 inch
Description
wood, black paint, kaolin, feathers, base
This mask combines human and animal-like features reminiscent of an ape. Its physiognomy appears threatening, which is reinforced by the black, thickly encrusted patina and suggests that it was once used in the fight against witchcraft.
Publications
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, "Afrikanische Kunst in Deutschen Privatsammlungen"/"African Art in Private German Collections"/"L'art africain dans les collections privées allemandes", München 1973, p. 309, cat. 444AHDRC: 0011749