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All auctions / Ethnographic / A wooden mask - Mumuye - Nigeria (No reserve price)
Mumuye Vabo Mask - Jalingo Region, Benue Valley, Nigeria, incl stand. This carved wooden headdress mask generates extraordinary tension from just a few forms. A block-like head transitions into a wide, projecting, white-rimmed mouth; the open jaws reveal suggested teeth. Two long, upward-curving horns define the silhouette. Circular, concentric eyes and the vibrant red paint contrast with the dark sections of the helmet. Side holes likely served to attach costume pieces. Abrasion, cracks, and the partially preserved polychromy give the surface a vivid historical texture. The mask belongs to the Mumuye community in present-day Taraba State, specifically the wider region around Jalingo and the Benue Valley. Comparable zoomorphic headdress masks are called va or vabo and are worn on the head. Documented examples combine features of buffalo, monkey, and other animals to create deliberately hybrid beings. They appeared primarily in connection with the initiations of young men, as well as in communal ceremonies and memorial rites. Their formal similarity to masks of the neighboring Chamba, Jukun, and Wurkun tribes also points to intensive cultural exchange in the central Benue region. The precise identification of the animal depicted in this particular specimen remains open. Literature (selection): Richard Fardon: Fusions: Masquerades and Thought Style East of the Niger-Benue Confluence. 2007. François Neyt: Mumuye. Paris 2006. Berns / Fardon / Kasfir (eds.): Central Nigeria Unmasked. Los Angeles 2011. Some of the information and photos are generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history documents. All information and photos are protected by copyright. Inv. No. MAZ28082 Informant: Mr. Congo
Estimate:$284.76
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Estimate:
$284.76
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East Greenlandic mask of driftwood with strap of seal skin. Tasiilaq.
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$546.51
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Carved wooden horse. Mounted on iron stand. Southeast Asia. 20th century.
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