Helmet mask "gelede" · Benin / Nigeria, Ketu, Yoruba · ID: 3045680

Name: Helmet mask "gelede"
SKU: 3045680
Availability: Discontinued

not available anymore

Provenance

Robert Duperrier, Paris, France (1984)
Jan Lundberg, Malmö, Sweden (1986)

Size

H: 38 cm

H: 15.0 inch

Description

wood, pigment remains, carved with european hat and two sheathed knives

Masks like this are worn by men in elaborate masquerade performances known as “gelede.” They have been described as real spectacles with an enormous variety of headdresses and costumes. They take place every year between march and may at the beginning of the new planting season.

The object Helmet mask “gelede” with the object ID 3045680 was last part of the auction 92nd Tribal Art Auction at June 29, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 170.

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.