250861 - Nice African Bulu Ngil / Fang mask - Gabon.
Old African Bulu Ngil mask from the Fang, Gabon.
This type of mask is used for entertainment of the spectators on festive occasions.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood.
Size: 40 cm.
The Bulu belong to the Fang group and live in the border region between Cameroon and Gabon.
Like the Fang of southern Cameroon, famous for their large white masks, the Bulu also practiced the Ngil ritual to combat witchcraft and poisoning. Ngi is the gorilla, a fearsome animal with which the applicant identifies after being admitted to the secret society.
Their monkey sculptures and masks are characterized by the invention of round and simple shapes, and by a great precision in observing the animal's posture.
It incorporates stylistic elements from the Bakwélé and the Fang.