Female mask "wife of va" · Nigeria, Mumuye · ID: 3034855
sold
EUR 1,300
Provenance
Joaquin Pecci, Brussels, BelgiumSize
L: 32 cm
L: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, matt patina, red and black paint, kaolin, min. dam., missing parts through insect caused damage (inside), cracks, traces of abrasion, socle;
such masks are used in connection with harvest rites. When the corn has ripened the mask dancer performs together with his attendants, visiting all the neighbouring farmsteads. According to Sieber and Ververs this mask type is the female partner of the buffalo mask appearing at the “vabong” masquerade.
Comparing literature
Evers, Christophe, Art of the Upper Benue River, Brüssel 2003, p. 20