Dance mask - Yoruba - Nigeria






Holds a postgraduate degree in African studies and 15 years experience in African art.
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 143139 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Wood Gelede mask from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, 20 × 20 cm, 24 g, in good used condition with signs of age, sold with a stand, Provenance: Jean-Michel Huguenin Collection, Paris.
Description from the seller
Gelede masks, such as this one, are worn by male Yoruba dancers at festivals honoring the women of the community, living and dead, especially the powerful Great Mothers, including both the elderly women of the community and the ancestors of Yoruba society. The gelede performances entertain and educate, and document elements of everyday life, such as the woman’s head tie in this example. Through their movements, gelede dancers express Yoruba ideals of male and female behavior.
Provenance: Jean-Michel Huguenin Collection, Paris
Seller's Story
Gelede masks, such as this one, are worn by male Yoruba dancers at festivals honoring the women of the community, living and dead, especially the powerful Great Mothers, including both the elderly women of the community and the ancestors of Yoruba society. The gelede performances entertain and educate, and document elements of everyday life, such as the woman’s head tie in this example. Through their movements, gelede dancers express Yoruba ideals of male and female behavior.
Provenance: Jean-Michel Huguenin Collection, Paris
