Sawfish mask ·  Guinea-Bissau, Bidjogo · ID: 3038192

Description

wood, painted in black and withe, red on reverse side, plant fibre, sword of a sawfisch (Pristis pectinatus), min. dam., traces of insect caused damage, slight traces of abrasion, small missing parts (teeth);
the Bidyogo are a small ethnical group in Guinea Bissau, living on the Bissagos islands off the coast.
Younger boys wore calf or fish masks, the older non-initiated boys depictions of wild bulls, sharks, hippos or sawfishs. Their dances were as wild and untamed as their own nature.
The masks were fixed by green bast, the sword pointed forward - in contrast to bull masks - the face was not covered.

The object Sawfish mask with the object ID 3038192 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 111.

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Comparing literature

Roberts, Allen F., Animals in African Art, New York 1995, p. 125, ill. 37 Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 477, ill. 5.142