Helmet mask · Cameroon, Tikar · ID: 3032653
sold
EUR 3,000
Provenance
Friedrich Hartung, Germany, collected in situ (Abong-Mbang area) in 1914. Mr. Hartung established a telegraph network for the Deutsche Reichspost in the then German Cameroon.Galerie Wolfgang Ketterer, München, 21. Mai 1980, lot 254
Richard Rüegg, Zurich, Switzerland
Size
H: 38 cm
H: 15.0 inch
Description
light brown wood, remains of dark brown paint, the face projecting to the front, showing a laughing, teeth-revealing mouth, ears and mouth accentuated by white paint, rectangular hole at the back of the head, min. dam., cracks, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion;
present mask probably typifies the stoic, non-committal expression of the faithful household servant of a feudal lord. Application of white chalk around eyes, ears, and the mouth identify the bearer as a carrier of bad news.
Comparing literature
Gebauer, Paul, Art of Cameroon, New York 1979, P 15