Helmet mask "gbetu" ·  Liberia, Gola · ID: 3038036

Description

wood, encrusted blackish brown patina, string of yellow glass beads, slightly dam., minor missing parts at the rim, cracks;
used by men societies for public displays on holidays, for weddings, funerals and other special events but also associated in some ways to the all powerful male “poro society”. The masks are accompanied by abundant raffia costumes, entirely veiling the dancers body.

The object Helmet mask “gbetu” with the object ID 3038036 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 101 achieved a sales price of EUR 450.

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Comparing literature

Mato, Daniel & Charles Miller, Sande, Düsseldorf 1990, p. 104 Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk & Alexander Bortolot, Visions from the Forest, Seattle, London 2014, p. 27, ill. 1.10