Mask - Gabon (No reserve price)
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Gorilla mask from the Kwele/Bakwele of Gabon, carved in wood, 45 cm high and 16 cm wide, in good condition with minor age-related wear and stains.
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Description from the seller
Gorilla Mask - Kwele / Bakwele - Gabon
Among the Bakwele, the internal cohesion of the village depended on the prestige and authority of its founder and on the skill of its peacemaker.
To strengthen it, they had borrowed from the Ngwyes the cult of the beete.
This ritual, which lasted an entire week, began with the departure into the forest of able-bodied men to hunt the antelope, whose flesh, accompanied by medicinaal preparations, would be eaten at the closing meal of the ceremony... The Ekuk masks that result from this are the best known.
After this departure, after a day or two, the Ekuk masks emerged from the forest and entered the village, inviting dance and singing.
Ekuk means both "spirit of the forest" and "children of beete".
This mask is supposed to represent the antelope and its two large horns.
Text adapted from page 559 of "African Art" Mazenod
The mask presented here is different; it is a mask representing a gorilla. It belongs to the great family of Kwelé animal masks (antelopes, elephants
Gorilla Mask - Kwele / Bakwele - Gabon
Among the Bakwele, the internal cohesion of the village depended on the prestige and authority of its founder and on the skill of its peacemaker.
To strengthen it, they had borrowed from the Ngwyes the cult of the beete.
This ritual, which lasted an entire week, began with the departure into the forest of able-bodied men to hunt the antelope, whose flesh, accompanied by medicinaal preparations, would be eaten at the closing meal of the ceremony... The Ekuk masks that result from this are the best known.
After this departure, after a day or two, the Ekuk masks emerged from the forest and entered the village, inviting dance and singing.
Ekuk means both "spirit of the forest" and "children of beete".
This mask is supposed to represent the antelope and its two large horns.
Text adapted from page 559 of "African Art" Mazenod
The mask presented here is different; it is a mask representing a gorilla. It belongs to the great family of Kwelé animal masks (antelopes, elephants
Details
Era
After 2000
Number of objects
1
Material
Wood
Country of origin
Gabon
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
45 cm
Width
16 cm
