Mask ensemble of face and body mask ·  Mozambique, Makonde · ID: 3048665

Description

wood, paint, beeswax, human hair, mounted on base

The initiation celebrations of the Makonde, which accompanied the entry into adult life, included feasts, dances and the performances of the “midimu” ghost dancers (sing. “ndimu”).

Female body masks were part of the clothing of a special “ndimu” mask dancer called “amwalindembo”, who was supposed to be a young pregnant woman.

The body masks were always worn by a male dancer masked with a matching female face mask. The “amwalindembo” performed a quiet dignified dance to demonstrate the pain of giving birth.

The object Mask ensemble of face and body mask with the object ID 3048665 was last part of the auction 98th Auction at March 26, 2022 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 343 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,000.

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Comparing literature

Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 175