Male "mai" mask
Papua New Guinea, Iatmul
sold
EUR 3,000
Provenance
Conelis Pieter Meulendijk, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1912-1979)Christie’s, London, The Meulendijk Collection of Tribal Art, Part I, 21 October 1980, lot 301
Size
H: 41 cm
H: 16.1 inch
Description
wood, black patina, remains of white pigment, eyes with shell inlay, long and thin mask (as is typical for the male type) and bow-shaped extension of the nose, decoration with nassa snails missing, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, acrylic base;
the “mai” mask, according to some sources, gets its name from the little nassa shells “mai” with which it is usually abundantly decorated. These masks are attached to a profulesly adorned conical mask frame worn during certain ceremonies by young men representing and bearing the names of pairs of clan ancestral brothers and sisters. The long thin masks are male, while the fuller and rounder ones represent the female.