Hunter's mask - Bambara - Mali
Opens 13 May
Starting bid
€ 1
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Expert
Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 200 - € 250
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Description from the seller
Mali
Bambara
Wood
Height: 650mm
Width: 175mm
Depth: 100mm
African wooden dance mask of the Bambara people of Mali -
Celebration mask. This type of Bambara mask symbolizes a crest in the shape of an antelope, a symbol of success, and was worn to celebrate the end of successful hunts.
Mask full of serenity with a gentle face, well proportioned with a beautiful patina of use.
This mask is representative of Bambara art, with a balance between shapes and volumes and with finely carved details.
This mask is extremely stylized, and this form could have inspired Cubist painters in the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
Beautiful patina of use, a serene face with a gentle expression.
Among the Bambara and the Malinké, initiation societies (jow) had and still have to a considerable extent significant social and political importance. Some of them, like Ntomo, Koré and their local equivalents, organize rites of passage: every boy must pass through them to become an adult, then an elder. Other societies, such as Komo, Nama, Ci-wara and others of lesser scope, are power associations in which one participates to increase prestige, to inspire respect, and to ensure the protection of dependents.
Ntomo prepares boys for circumcision, adulthood, marriage, and initiation to Koré and Komo.
Ntomo is the first initiation society among the Bambara. This society takes care of young children aged 7 to 13. After this first initiation, circumcision was practiced. Currently, with Islamization, the ceremony still takes place, but circumcision is frequently performed at birth. Young children have trials to succeed during the final ceremony. It is on this occasion that the masks dance.
Ntomo masks are anthropomorphic and are topped with braids. The 7 braids would reference the 7 twins of the Ancestor Noun Fa Yiri, but it is common to find masks with a different number of braids, between 3 and 7.
All Ntomo masks feature a domed forehead and a figurine as a crest, and many cowries frequently ornament the mask, symbols of fertility.
Ntomo mask from the Segou region. Ntomo bo: the Ntomo mask goes out. Ntomo kun: bed, Ntomo head, Ntomo mask.
The Bambara, also called Banama, form the largest ethnicity in Mali. They occupy the central part of this country, in a savanna-covered region. The Bambara kingdom was founded in the 17th century. Bambara society is largely structured around six male societies, known as the Dyow.
Stylistic variations are very numerous in Bambara art. Sculptures, masks and crests can represent stylized heads or, conversely, realistic forms with eroded or rich patina.
Bambara artists produced masks, statues, crests, puppets, locks, fetishes, iron figurines, iron staffs.
The parcels are shipped from Monday to Saturday with insurance and tracking number.
Delivery in 1 to 3 days in France via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days across the European Union.
Delivery in the rest of Europe and worldwide via Colissimo International.
We speak english
Mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
Máscara de estatua de galería de arte africano
Seller's Story
Passionate about World Arts and more specifically about African Art, we buy from collectors, former officials, military, health workers, public works staff who have worked in Africa and also in Côte d'Ivoire, from antique dealers and traders who roam across West Africa to find quality objects.
It is with pride that we present works that, beyond their power to beautify spaces, invite our collectors to resonate with the richness and depth of human expression through the most authentic art.
At Arts Ethniques Gallery, we have the privilege of offering our visitors an exclusive selection of artworks, all unique and original. Each piece presented is the outcome of a demanding artistic approach, driven by a singular vision and mastered craftsmanship, all elements that guarantee authenticity and value.
The works we offer are not industrial reproductions. They are individual creations, crafted with sensitivity and precision, each bearing its own story, identity and presence. Originality is the very foundation of our commitment to excellence. Thus, every mask and every statue in our collection is the subject of a rigorous selection, in order to preserve their rarity and singularity.
Acquiring a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery means owning a truly unique piece: a creation that embodies both talent, cultural memory and the expressive force of African art. It is also a lasting investment in a work whose artistic and emotional value transcends time.
We guarantee that every work leaving our gallery is an authentic piece, without replicas, bearing witness to the creativity, heritage and passion of the African artists who shaped them.
We invite you to participate in our gallery’s auctions with confidence. Each presented work is an original, unique and irreplaceable creation, selected with the greatest rigor to guarantee its authenticity and artistic value.
Whether you wish to enrich a personal collection or introduce an exceptional artwork into your space, Arts Ethniques Gallery offers a safe, transparent and professional setting to acquire remarkable pieces.
Art auctions are a privileged moment to discover rare works, capable of becoming the heart of a collection. Acquiring a work at our sales is not just buying an object: it is investing in a creation whose aesthetic value and cultural reach reinforce over time.
The pieces presented by Arts Ethniques Gallery testify not only to the talent and vision of the artists but also possess the ability to transform spaces and enrich the gaze of those who behold them.
Participating in our auctions is taking part in a singular experience, where the passion for art meets the rigors of collecting. Bidding on a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery goes beyond a simple transaction: it is a gesture of commitment and appreciation for art in its most authentic form.
We invite you to bid with passion and to join us in this adventure dedicated to discovery, transmission and celebration of art.
Perhaps your next heart piece is already waiting for you."
Translated by Google TranslateMali
Bambara
Wood
Height: 650mm
Width: 175mm
Depth: 100mm
African wooden dance mask of the Bambara people of Mali -
Celebration mask. This type of Bambara mask symbolizes a crest in the shape of an antelope, a symbol of success, and was worn to celebrate the end of successful hunts.
Mask full of serenity with a gentle face, well proportioned with a beautiful patina of use.
This mask is representative of Bambara art, with a balance between shapes and volumes and with finely carved details.
This mask is extremely stylized, and this form could have inspired Cubist painters in the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
Beautiful patina of use, a serene face with a gentle expression.
Among the Bambara and the Malinké, initiation societies (jow) had and still have to a considerable extent significant social and political importance. Some of them, like Ntomo, Koré and their local equivalents, organize rites of passage: every boy must pass through them to become an adult, then an elder. Other societies, such as Komo, Nama, Ci-wara and others of lesser scope, are power associations in which one participates to increase prestige, to inspire respect, and to ensure the protection of dependents.
Ntomo prepares boys for circumcision, adulthood, marriage, and initiation to Koré and Komo.
Ntomo is the first initiation society among the Bambara. This society takes care of young children aged 7 to 13. After this first initiation, circumcision was practiced. Currently, with Islamization, the ceremony still takes place, but circumcision is frequently performed at birth. Young children have trials to succeed during the final ceremony. It is on this occasion that the masks dance.
Ntomo masks are anthropomorphic and are topped with braids. The 7 braids would reference the 7 twins of the Ancestor Noun Fa Yiri, but it is common to find masks with a different number of braids, between 3 and 7.
All Ntomo masks feature a domed forehead and a figurine as a crest, and many cowries frequently ornament the mask, symbols of fertility.
Ntomo mask from the Segou region. Ntomo bo: the Ntomo mask goes out. Ntomo kun: bed, Ntomo head, Ntomo mask.
The Bambara, also called Banama, form the largest ethnicity in Mali. They occupy the central part of this country, in a savanna-covered region. The Bambara kingdom was founded in the 17th century. Bambara society is largely structured around six male societies, known as the Dyow.
Stylistic variations are very numerous in Bambara art. Sculptures, masks and crests can represent stylized heads or, conversely, realistic forms with eroded or rich patina.
Bambara artists produced masks, statues, crests, puppets, locks, fetishes, iron figurines, iron staffs.
The parcels are shipped from Monday to Saturday with insurance and tracking number.
Delivery in 1 to 3 days in France via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days across the European Union.
Delivery in the rest of Europe and worldwide via Colissimo International.
We speak english
Mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
Máscara de estatua de galería de arte africano
Seller's Story
Passionate about World Arts and more specifically about African Art, we buy from collectors, former officials, military, health workers, public works staff who have worked in Africa and also in Côte d'Ivoire, from antique dealers and traders who roam across West Africa to find quality objects.
It is with pride that we present works that, beyond their power to beautify spaces, invite our collectors to resonate with the richness and depth of human expression through the most authentic art.
At Arts Ethniques Gallery, we have the privilege of offering our visitors an exclusive selection of artworks, all unique and original. Each piece presented is the outcome of a demanding artistic approach, driven by a singular vision and mastered craftsmanship, all elements that guarantee authenticity and value.
The works we offer are not industrial reproductions. They are individual creations, crafted with sensitivity and precision, each bearing its own story, identity and presence. Originality is the very foundation of our commitment to excellence. Thus, every mask and every statue in our collection is the subject of a rigorous selection, in order to preserve their rarity and singularity.
Acquiring a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery means owning a truly unique piece: a creation that embodies both talent, cultural memory and the expressive force of African art. It is also a lasting investment in a work whose artistic and emotional value transcends time.
We guarantee that every work leaving our gallery is an authentic piece, without replicas, bearing witness to the creativity, heritage and passion of the African artists who shaped them.
We invite you to participate in our gallery’s auctions with confidence. Each presented work is an original, unique and irreplaceable creation, selected with the greatest rigor to guarantee its authenticity and artistic value.
Whether you wish to enrich a personal collection or introduce an exceptional artwork into your space, Arts Ethniques Gallery offers a safe, transparent and professional setting to acquire remarkable pieces.
Art auctions are a privileged moment to discover rare works, capable of becoming the heart of a collection. Acquiring a work at our sales is not just buying an object: it is investing in a creation whose aesthetic value and cultural reach reinforce over time.
The pieces presented by Arts Ethniques Gallery testify not only to the talent and vision of the artists but also possess the ability to transform spaces and enrich the gaze of those who behold them.
Participating in our auctions is taking part in a singular experience, where the passion for art meets the rigors of collecting. Bidding on a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery goes beyond a simple transaction: it is a gesture of commitment and appreciation for art in its most authentic form.
We invite you to bid with passion and to join us in this adventure dedicated to discovery, transmission and celebration of art.
Perhaps your next heart piece is already waiting for you."
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Indigenous object name
Hunter's mask
Ethnic group/ culture
Bambara
Country of Origin
Mali
Material
Wood
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Good condition
Weight
1.1 kg
Sold by
