Female mask with lip plug · Tanzania, Makonde · ID: 3032267
sold
EUR 1,200
Provenance
Galerie Numaga, Auvernier, Switzerland (1996)Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Size
H: 22 cm
H: 8.7 inch
Description
wood, shiny brown patina, scarification marks in wax, lip plug “pelele”, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
these proportionally small masks were fastened to the forehead. The remaining part of the head is covered with fabric through which the performer breathes and looks. The most spectacular however was, that the dancers wore stilts measured up to three meters, which is why the term “stilt dancer” is inseparable attached to the Makonde.
Comparing literature
Jahn, Jens (Hg.), Tanzania, p. 432 f.