Fire spitter mask "wanjugo" · Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3036252
Edith Hafter, Solothurn, Switzerland
Description
wood, dark brown patina, composed of different animals (crocodile jaw, wart hog fangs, mighty buffalo horns), crowned by a small vessel, a chameleon and a bird head, rep. (breakage at the nose), fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
the mask type “wanjugo” belongs to the “wabele” society. The masks are greatly feared and have a powerful magic potential. Usually they have a small circular receptacle on the top of the cranium, filled with magic substances. Sometimes they are called “firespitter” masks. In former times their open mouth used to be filled with blaze, which the dancers blew to showers of sparks.
The object Fire spitter mask “wanjugo” with the object ID 3036252 was part of the auction 76th tribal art auction on March 22, 2014. The object with the lot number 208 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,000 with an asking price of EUR 1,800.
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
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 13