Buffalo mask "nam gbalang" ·  Nigéria, Chamba · ID: 3036089

Description

heavy wood, blackish brown patina, encrustations with clay in some areas, of characteristic form, slightly dam., cracks (head, lower jaw), minor missing parts (rims of the snout), bigger missing parts backside at the rim, drilled holes broken out, base;
“nam gbalang” could be translated as something like “unruly thing of the bush”. Each mask has a personal name as well, the male ones (wich are red) being called “chief” something and the female ones (which are black) being called “mother” something. Both colours mean danger since red is associated with blood and black with night and witches. These masks have been made in the exact same form for a long time. They are danced during various ceremonies, e. g. funerals, passage rites, enthronization of a new king.

L’objet Buffalo mask “nam gbalang” avec l’ID d’objet 3036089 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 76th tribal art auction dans 22 mars 2014 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 426 a atteint un prix de vente de 1 400 €.

Vous trouverez d’autres Masques et autres types d’objets populaires sur nos pages thématiques associées. Notre page sur le thème Art africain pourrait également vous intéresser.

Littérature comparée

Evers, Christophe, Art of the Upper Benue River, Brussels 2003, p. 26 Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 142