Bush cow mask · Nigeria, Mumuye · ID: 3043136
Price
EUR 1,500
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance
Size
H: 50 cm
H: 19.7 inch
Description
wood, kaolin, red pigment, of typical massive form, carved with a big snout, forehead crest and strong horns, min. dam., missing parts (horn tips), fine cracks, paint rubbed off, base.
Secret societies in groups all along the Benue employ horizontal masks representing bush cows and other animals. The general concept of the mask seems to be to place powerful and aggressive bush creatures at the service of human society and to provide protection for crops and man. They may also appear at important ceremonies such as installations and funerals of chiefs and secret-society initiations.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 288