Anthropomorphic mask · Gabon, Fang / Nzebi · ID: 3045744
Lucien van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium
Hendrik Elias, Wieze, Belgium (1992)
Joseph Christiaens, Brussels, Belgium (1998)
Alfons Bermel, Obersteinbach, France
Zemanek-Münster, 5 March 2011, Lot 302
French Private Collection
Description
wood, kaolin, rep.
The Fang mainly live in northern and western Gabon, in Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni) and in southern Cameroon.
The white face paint reminds of the power of the ancestors and may be a hint that the the mask represents the spirit of a deceased.
The object Anthropomorphic mask with the object ID 3045744 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 180 achieved a sales price of EUR 10,000.
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.
Comparing literature
Siroto, Leon, East of the Atlantic West of the Congo, San Francisco 1995, p. 50
Publications
De Buck, Jo, "Hendrik Elias Legacy Archives", Brussels 2018, p. 15, ill. 5
AHDRC: 0045979