Rare mask "ikwara" · Gabon, Punu · ID: 3041895
French Private Collection, Paris
Description
wood, black dyed facial plane, red paint, with prominent horns and sickle-shaped pierced eyes, forehead tattoo, slightly dam., rep. (breakages at both horn tips), base;
this mask was called “ikwara-mokulu” - “the mask of the night”, because of the secret and mysterious reasons for its use. They have always been displayed at dusk or at night on stilts.They appeared only following judges decisions. In some areas they were said to have been used in specific ceremonies related to the restoration of social order, especially on occasions of collective misfortune such as epidemic, crime or the use of witchcraft. They represented either a male spirit, as opposed to the “okuyi” female masks, or an old woman, as opposed to the commonly accepted theme of the dead young woman.
The object Rare mask “ikwara” with the object ID 3041895 was last part of the auction 85th Tribal Art Auction at March 4, 2017 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 335.
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Publications
Jean David, Gabon, Zurich 2005, p. 163
AHDRC: 0139822