Masque facial féminin "okuyi" ou "mukudji" ·  Gabon, Punu · ID: 3045640

Description

wood, colored, missing parts (insect caused damage)

This beautiful old mask with the typical whitened face is one of the so-called “white-faced masks from the Ogooué”.

These masks represent female entities from the spirit world and especially performed during mourning rites. The masked dancer appeared on high stilts and spoke with ghostly voices, generated by a secret instrument consisting of a small gourd.

The masks belonged to the male “mwiri” secret society. According to Perrois, they played an emblematic role during public hearings and, less obstrusively, in the boys inititation. The mask was a powerful policing instrument for keeping the women and children in a subordinate, obedient position.

For years it preserved the customs and laws of all these groups in South Gabun, keeping them intact until the arrival of the missionaries in the late 19th century.

L’objet Masque facial féminin “okuyi” ou “mukudji” avec l’ID d’objet 3045640 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 92e vente aux enchères Tribal Art dans 29 juin 2019 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 96 a atteint un prix de vente de 2 000 €.

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.

Publications

Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Afrika, Maske und Skulptur, Olten 1989, ill. 61