Mask · Guinea, Baga · ID: 3041354
Danish Private Collection
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, red pigment, head with long snout, projecting crest on the parting and smaller one on the forehead, flanked by stylized horns, carved with small ears, grooved ornamental decor, dam. (nose), crest on the head rep. (several breakages), a piece reinserted on the head, cracks (head, forehead), mounted on old base with collection label inscribed: “Bagha Guinea …”;
the mask was worn horizontally on the head. It combines human and animalic features (compare Lamp, 1996, ill. 106). Many face masks of widely varying forms were used in the past but have been largely forgotten nowadays.
The object Mask with the object ID 3041354 was last part of the auction 84th Tribal Art Auction at November 5, 2016 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 128 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000.
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.
Comparing literature
Lamp, Frederick, Art of the Baga, New York 1996, p. 129, ill. 106