Mask "okuyi" · Gabon, Punu/Tsogho · ID: 3041556
Peiner (1897-1981) was a German painter. He first travelled to Africa in 1936 and was fascinated by the landscape, the animals and the people he encountered. He took hundreds of photographs, collected masks and shields and, under the impression of his experiences, wrote the book “Das Gesicht Ostafrikas” in 1937. Since his journey there, depictions of African landscapes, portraits and animals formed a significant part of his oeuvre.
Description
wood, kaolin, red and black pigment, brown patina, asymmetrical facial features and coiffure, mouth with drilled hole, eyes narrow slit, slightly dam. (left eye), insect caused missing parts (backside at the rim), crack (backside at the coiffure), abrasion of paint, base;
the white-faced masks of the “okuyi” (also known as “mukudj” or “mukuyi”) were used by the Punu, Tsogho and Lumbo peoples. The Punu tradition tells us that masks covered with white earth “pemba” and with carefully elaborate coiffures most often represent feminine entities of the world of spirits of the death. According to some Punu informers, masks without scarified faces could be masculine beings, in spite of the delicacy of their traits.
The object Mask “okuyi” with the object ID 3041556 was last part of the auction 85th Tribal Art Auction at March 4, 2017 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 334 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,000.
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.
Publications
AHDRC: 0139823