Masque anthropomorphe "geh-naw" ·  Libéria, Bassa · ID: 3050058

Description

wood, pigment,

These masks were attached to a basket-like construction and worn by the dancer on the forehead. The face and upper body were hidden under fabric. The costume was complemented by voluminous grass fibre skirts that covered the rest of the body.

The imposing masked figure appeared as part of initiation rites for boys and girls when they left for or returned from the bush schools “gree-gree”.

Littérature comparée

Meneghini, Mario, Collecting African Art in Liberia and Neighboring Countries 1963 - 1989, o.O. 2006, p. 60