Janus helmet mask "wanyugo" · Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3043870

Name: Janus helmet mask "wanyugo"
SKU: 3043870
Price: 1600 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 1,600

Provenance

Gerd Hanebeck, Wuppertal, Germany

Size

H: 32 cm

L: 67,5 cm

H: 12.6 inch

L: 26.6 inch

Description

wood,

Zoomorphic “wanyugo” masks belong to the “wabele” society. They are send out during times of funerary ritual or times of crisis in order to search out and destroy any malevolent spirits and evil spells.

Its menacing look should support them in their fight against baneful powers. From time to time a swarm of vicious bees or fire should have left the open jaws of the mask, which is why they are often called “firespitter” masks.

The masks were enpowered by magical substances “wah” which were filled into the small receptacle on top of the cranium. But first its completion with a costume, the gestures and movements of the mask dancer and its involvement in a ceremonial context make the masks fully effective.

The object Janus helmet mask “wanyugo” with the object ID 3043870 was last part of the auction 89th Tribal Art Auction at July 7, 2018 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 99 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,600.

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.