Property of MR. and MRS. STANLEY MARCUS
A FANG HELMET MASK, ngongtang

Details
A FANG HELMET MASK, ngongtang

Of cylindrical form with two pairs of faces, each of round form with flat cheeks, broad flat noses, arched brows, flat foreheads, rows of stippling below the mouths and at the brows, two faces with pierced crescent eyes, two faces with round mirror inlays in eyes, square eye holes under one face for the wearer, the rim perforated for attachments, white pigment on faces and at the base, 12in. (30.5cm.) high

Lot Essay

Ngongtang masks represent the spirits of young women and were frequently worn during the first quarter of the 20th century in rituals associated wih ancestors. This example is quite similar to one in the Barbier Muller Museum in Geneva, Switzerland (see Perrois, L., 1986, pp. 176, 7, 222, pl. 36).