Mask "ngoin", before 1914
Cameroon Grassfields, Kom/Bamum
not available anymore
Provenance
Arno Leissring, Germany (1922)Size
H: 49 cm
H: 19.3 inch
Description
heavy wood, blackish brown patina, kaolin, tribe-typical facial features with big eyes and smiling mouth, high headgear with rectangular opening on the backside, old collection label “Arno Leissring, Weißer Geist (?), 1922), dam., cracks, traces of insect caused damage and abrasion, small missing parts, base;
the complete traditional vestment consists of a garment of blue and white royal cloth and a flywhisk. The mask dances in short contained steps appropriate to her noble image. “Ngoin” usually follows the leader mask in the dance sequence which includes several “ngoin” masks to complement the male human masks.
Comparing literature
Gebauer, Paul, Art of Cameroon, New York 1979, P15Publications
Bomann-Museum (Hg.), Afrikanische Kunst, Sammlung Robert Lewitzki, Celle 2012, p. 41AHDRC: 0142273