N'Golo mask - Marka-Soninké - Mali

This N’Golo mask from the Marka-Soninké, is partially covered with metal plates with geometric designs and also has two long braids made of small tubes of the same metal, attached at the beginning of the eyebrows and running down the cheeks, which are finished with pieces of red fabric. With a design that is practically “cubist,” this mask is broadly similar to the Bambara masks of the N'Tomo society: a long, thin face, a sharp, pointed nose that divides the face into two symmetrical parts, and a high, bulging forehead whose mass dominates the lower part of the face and from which emerge two small, straight, vertical horns, tapering towards their tips, which allow this mask to be classified as belonging to the N'Tomo society.

Provenance: Mundo Africano, Barcelona
Argiles Collection, Barcelona