Superb - masque - Punu - Gabon (No Reserve Price)

05
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08
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43
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Current bid
€ 1
No reserve price
Julien Gauthier
Expert
Selected by Julien Gauthier

With almost a decade of experience bridging science, museum curation, and traditional blacksmithing, Julien has developed a unique expertise in historical arms, armour, and African art.

Estimate  € 100 - € 150
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beBidder 1542 €1

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Superbe is a Punu mask from Gabon with provenance in a private collection.

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Description from the seller

The white masks of South Gabon have become one of the iconic images of African art in the 19th century. The coherence of their corpus, which is very rich, has challenged various attempts at classification, whether based on their iconographic variations or through closely related groups (Punu, Lumbu, Shira, Sangu, Tsengi, etc.) that still share their tradition today. Aesthetics offers another approach to their study. Beyond Western appreciation, it is based on the very essence of these masks, whose inspiration and reception stem as much from beauty as from virtuosity. This mask stands at the pinnacle of a tradition where religious and secular notions of the sacred unite in the exaltation of beauty.

The white masks of South Gabon have become one of the iconic images of African art in the 19th century. The coherence of their corpus, which is very rich, has challenged various attempts at classification, whether based on their iconographic variations or through closely related groups (Punu, Lumbu, Shira, Sangu, Tsengi, etc.) that still share their tradition today. Aesthetics offers another approach to their study. Beyond Western appreciation, it is based on the very essence of these masks, whose inspiration and reception stem as much from beauty as from virtuosity. This mask stands at the pinnacle of a tradition where religious and secular notions of the sacred unite in the exaltation of beauty.

Details

Indigenous object name
masque
No. of items
1
Ethnic group/ culture
Punu
Country of Origin
Gabon
Period
2000-2010
Material
Wood
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Good condition
Title of artwork
Superb
Height
37 cm
Width
28 cm
Depth
24 cm
Weight
1 kg
Provenance
Private collection
FranceVerified
716
Objects sold
97.93%
Private

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