Female singer mask "nineagla" · Côte d'Ivoire, Wè-Wobé · ID: 3050909
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 27 November 2004, lot 213
Werner Zintl, Worms, Germany
Description
wood, colour pigments, brass, miniature glass beads, human hair, fibres, fabric,
Singer masks belong to the category of entertainment masks. They depict beautiful young girls (= “nineagla”), but are worn by boys and young men.
Himmelheber reports that “sometimes quite young boys go through the village with such a mask and only one companion and show their singing art here and there without any special effort”.
The object Female singer mask “nineagla” with the object ID 3050909 was last part of the auction Collectors’ Items Sale at September 24, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 166.
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.
Comparing literature
Lorenz Homberger (Hrsg.), Masken der Wè und Dan, Elfenbeinküste, Zürich 1997, p. 25, ill. 13