Mask "geh-naw" of the "chu-den-zo" society · Liberia, Bassa · ID: 3047296
not available anymore
Provenance
Edmondo Trombetta, Monza, Italy (coll. in situ, 1978-80)Size
H: 22,5 cm
H: 8.9 inch
Description
wood, base
A nice detail are the separately worked “hair knots”, which run in a horizontal line along the hairline.
These masks only became known in 1969, when they first appeared on the European and American art market.
“Geh-naw” was not worn in front of the face, but was fixed to a plaited frame, worn on the forehead. The dancers presented an impressive picture. They wore luxuriant grass fiber skirts, upper body and head were hidden under several layers of fabric.
Comparing literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 30