Mask ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Wé · ID: 3032980

Description

wood, partly shiny dark brown patina, castagnet eyes with narrow see slits, dominated by a broad mouth with full lips, metal and animal teeth, plant fibre beard, brass bells attached, forehead nail, dam., minor missing parts, traces of abrasion and insect caused damage;
through the use of metal attachments like bells or aluminium teeth a mask becomes more powerful and efficient. The shiny effect of the metal and the sound of the bells makes sense, for attracting attention - not only of the spectators but of the ancestors as well.

The object Mask with the object ID 3032980 was last part of the auction 69th tribal art auction at June 2, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 224.

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.