FOR THE GELEDE MASQUERADE

Details

A FINE EARLY YORUBA MASK
For the Gelede masquerade
The face with finely notched bands heightened with white pigment, the grooved coiffure with blue, red and black pigments, with old label
34cm. long

Provenance

Van Lier, Blaricum

Special notice

Christie's charges a Buyer's premium calculated at 20.825% of the hammer price for each lot with a value up to €90,000 (NLG 198.334). If the hammer price of a lot exceeds €90,000 then the hammer price of a lot is calculated at 20.825% of the first €90,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of €90,000. Buyer's Premium is calculated on this basis for each lot individually.

Lot Essay

A note attached to the mask dated Novr. 23, 1871, addressed to C.C. Tudway reads: As you are fond of something original I send you a few masks from Dahomey, such as are used on the occasion of human sacrifice, & one of the famous Bottle gourds. A missionary friend of mine who has just escaped from a daring visit to the capital of the greatest murderer in Africa brought away & gave me 4 masks & 2 gourds so they are genuine. very truly yrs. Edmund Watt.

More from TRIBAL ART

View All