20th C. African Dogon Wood Mask – Zoomorphic Face- Lot 183c, Auction 4/25/2019
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20th C. African Dogon Wood Mask – Zoomorphic Face- Lot 183c, Auction 4/25/2019

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Western Africa, Mali, Dogon people, ca. mid 20th century CE. An abstract, hand-carved wooden mask in the form of a zoomorphic face with an elongated form and very large, bulging eyes set into cuboid voids. The top of the head is rounded, and a huge openwork crest flows from the nose around the top of the head. The bottom of the mask is cut open laterally and painted red to create an open mouth. Along the sides are a series of drilled holes for attaching materials to the mask. Red and blue pigment decorates the white surface. Size: 28″ L x 10″ W x 10.5″ H (71.1 cm x 25.4 cm x 26.7 cm)

Dogon masks are important for ritual performance, especially relating to funerary rites and the dama, which is the celebration at the end of a period of mourning. They are controlled by the Awa society, male initiates, who protect the masks. This mask would be a non-threatening, unaggressive character in a ritual dance, lacking teeth.

Condition: Light wear on surface commensurate with age. Otherwise very good.

Provenance: ex-private California, USA estate collection, purchased in the 1990s

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