Mask "gu" with coiffure from amulet pouches, before 1920
Monique & Jean-Paul Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, Switzerland (1979)
Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, 23 June 1979, lot 103
Merton Simpson, New York, USA
William J. (Bill) Moore, Los Angeles, USA
Description
wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, extremely narrow elongated face with accentuated ears and elaborate coiffure, eyebrows in pokerwork, raised tattoo on the forehead, slightly dam., vertical crack on both face halves (rep. in parts), abrasion of paint;
stylistically present mask can be dated before 1920. It was part of the Josef Mueller Collection already before 1942. He acquired the majority of his artifacts in Paris before World War II.
“Gu” is always carved according to the image of “a beautiful woman” - “uanya iri nya”. Although she is always danced by men. Together with “zauli” - a grotesque animal mask with long horns - and “zamble” whose face reminds of a leopard or a crocodile - “gu” forms one mask family. “Gu” is considered to be “zambles” wife. During the masquerade she appears after the two zoomorphic masks “zaule” and “zamble”, accompanied by flutes, moving slowly and charming, singing songs in honour of “zamble”.
Publications
AHDRC: 0142251