Grand masque de buffle en forme de casque "nya" · Cameroun Grassland, Territoire Bamiléké, région de Batcham ou Baleng · ID: 3045407
n'est plus disponible
Provenance
Pierre Harter, Paris, FranceMercedes & David Serra, Barcelona, Spain
Christie’s Paris, 23 June 2016, lot 258
Private Collection
Description
wood pigment, rest., bands of cowry shells edging the rim of the neck, base
The buffalo as exclusive royal icon symbolizes force, courage and power.
Masks of this kind are used by the Bamileke “mapfeli” male secret society, whose traditional role is to open and close the biannual “ke” male initiation ceremony, a purification ceremony which also wards off evil forces.
The heavy mask with its long neck suggests that it was displayed, rather than worn.
Littérature comparée
Kahan, Leonard et .al., A Cameroon World, New York 2007, p. 141
Publications
Pierre Harter, "Les masques dits 'batcham'", in: Arts d'Afrique Noire, No.3, 1972, p. 41, ill. 40; Pierre Harter, "Arts anciens du Cameroun", Arnouville, 1986, p. 44, ill. 29; David Serra, "Rites, Danses et Parures", Parcours des Mondes 2012, p. 30/31AHDRC: 0132936