Old mask "geh-naw" · Liberia, Bassa · ID: 3041488
sold
EUR 3,000
Provenance
American Private Collection, Florida (acquired while living in NYC, in the 1960s - 80s)Size
H: 23,5 cm
H: 9.3 inch
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, encrusted in some areas, grooved relief braids of hair along raised forehead, relief curved earlobes frame narrow eyes, crosshatched pattern incised along center of forehead and tubular nose, small oval jutting mouth bears bone tooth inserts, slightly dam., crack (chin), weathered, age cracked, some repair to surface, base;
the Bassa have several secret societies for men and women. The “geh-naw” masks belong to the so-called “chu-den-zo”. The masks are fixed to a plaited frame, worn on the forehead. The mask appears when the young initiates return from the bush camps, or important persons come to visit the village.