Mask with hinged jaw "elu" · Nigeria, Ogoni · ID: 3034926

Name: Mask with hinged jaw "elu"
SKU: 3034926
Availability: Discontinued

not available anymore

Provenance

Sotheby’s London, 14.5.1979, lot 150

Size

H: 43 cm

H: 16.9 inch

Description

wood, slightly encrusted patina, polychrome paint, crowned by a standing figure, both hands pierced (once holding items), rep. (nose tip, right ear), slight traces of abrasion;
“elu” masks are worn by young men of the “ogoni” secret society. They were attached to a cone-shaped fibre and cloth cap. The corresponding costumes varied. The small caricatures represent different characters. In a funny or tragic way they illustrate oral traditions in stories and songs.

The object Mask with hinged jaw “elu” with the object ID 3034926 was last part of the auction 73rd tribal art auction at May 25, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 267.

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.