Mask - Punu - Gabon (No reserve price)

Okuyi masks are made of lightweight softwood and whitened with white clay (formerly mixed with bone powder). They are commemorative representations of deceased ancestors, both men and women. The fact that the masks could be gendered explains the male/female pairs.
Perched on tall wooden stilts, the dancer was covered in raffia loincloths or cotton fabrics. He performed astonishing acrobatic feats throughout the village and around the huts.
The Okuyi mask could be viewed by men, women, and children alike, although the latter usually preferred to stay hidden.