Masque casque "shitengamatu" ·  Tanzanie / Mozambique, Makondé · ID: 3050138

Description

terracotta, blackened,

According to Paolo Israel, who has done intensive research on Makonde mask dances, clay masks were called “vitengamatu” (sing. “shitengamatu”), which literally means “open your ears”.

The masks were made by women and also worn by women. They were kept strictly secret and were not allowed to be seen by men. They were danced by women only once a year, at the final coming-out ceremonies (“nkamangu”) of feminine puberty rites.

“Vitengamatu” formed the female counterpart to the wooden “mapiko” masks for male initiation.

L’objet Masque casque “shitengamatu” avec l’ID d’objet 3050138 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 101e vente aux enchères dans 11 novembre 2023 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 355 a atteint un prix de vente de 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

cf. AHDRC 0086415 Israel, Paolo, "In Step with the Times: Mapiko Masquerades of Mozambique", 2014, p. 185