Female face mask "okuyi" · Gabon, Lumbo / Punu · ID: 3050309
Harry A. Franklin, Beverly Hills, USA
Jean-Paul Agogué, Champigny-sur-Marne, France
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 8 September 2012, Lot 364
Description
wood, kaolin, inventory no. in black letters on white background “AJP 1158”
This mask is a variant of the so-called “White Masks of Ogooué” and depicts an idealised female face. The face is traditionally coloured with white clay “pemba”. They were believed to represent female ancestors from the afterlife.
Such masks were worn by virtuosic male performers of a stilt dance, which involved towering impressively while executing complex choreography and astonishing feats of acrobatics.
The object Female face mask “okuyi” with the object ID 3050309 was last part of the auction 101st Auction at November 11, 2023 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 294.
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.