231112 - Old African Mambila mask - Cameroon.
Old African head dress mask from the Mambila, Cameroon.
This type of mask is used in initiation ceremonies.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood, with color pigments.
Long: 34 cm.
This Antique Mambila mask was collected in the 1940's and ended up in my private collection in 1998.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood and about 80 years old or older.
The Mambila are located at the border of Cameroon, East Nigeria. They created statues of ancestors, objects of protection and masks used for the biennial sowing and harvest festivities. The Mambila were famous for their highly stylized black, white and red painted animal masks. They were kept hidden from the eyes of women and were guarded by the head of the family.
Cf: Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler, page 269