Photographs © Tim Hamill
PUNU, SPIRIT HEADDRESS 16, 20", Wood, pigment, metal & raffia, $500, Gabon
This unusual headdress, worn on top of the head, might be one of the rarer black-faced masks worn for judicial purposes at a trial. It also has an unusual metal plating over the face.
Masks like these white-faced masks represented the spirit of an ancestor
from the afterworld and were often used by stilt dancers for funeral rituals.
They are known for their elegant features, forehead scarification patterns
and elaborate coiffures. Despite their appearance, these masks show little
evidence of age or use and were probably made to be sold.
GO PUNU MASKS ARCHIVES (ALL SOLD)
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