Mask ·  Mali, Dogon · ID: 3042384

Description

light brown wood, blackish brown patina, remains of pigments, flat ground, a bulging forehead forming an animal head with trunk-like projection, which -at the same time- forms the nose of the actual mask face, min. dam., missing parts (lower lip), cracks, traces of abrasion, base;
depicting a person called “the hunter”. The masks are carved by the person who wears it lateron. Because the Dogon believe that game animals are overpowered by magical means, hunters are also magicians.
It is completed by a plant fibre costume which covers the most part of the body.

The object Mask with the object ID 3042384 was last part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction at May 27, 2017 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 189 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,200.

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

Bilot, Alain, Masques du pays Dogon, Paris 2001, p. 152, no. 78

Publications

AHDRC: 0142090