Anthropomorphic mask "geh-naw" · Liberia, Bassa · ID: 3050058
sold
EUR 750
Provenance
Justin Barthels, Maastricht, The NetherlandsSize
H: 24 cm
H: 9.4 inch
Description
wood, pigment,
These masks were attached to a basket-like construction and worn by the dancer on the forehead. The face and upper body were hidden under fabric. The costume was complemented by voluminous grass fibre skirts that covered the rest of the body.
The imposing masked figure appeared as part of initiation rites for boys and girls when they left for or returned from the bush schools “gree-gree”.
Comparing literature
Meneghini, Mario, Collecting African Art in Liberia and Neighboring Countries 1963 - 1989, o.O. 2006, p. 60