Description:

Africa, Tanzania, Makonde people, late 19th to mid 20th century CE. This is a light wood carved helmet, naturalistic and striking with a deep set brow and tufts of human hair on top. It has painted scarification marks in zigzags and other geometric patterns on the skin of face. The Makonde live along the Ruvuma River and are prolific producers of masks. These masks are known as mapiko, and they are used in initiation rites, in which ancestral spirits appear wearing these masks. The dancers in the rites wear the masks tilted over their heads so they can see out of the mouth of the mask; they playact as these ancestral spirits, who are called Lihoka. These dancers are men who have been initiated within the society. Size: 10.5" H (26.7 cm)

Provenance: Ex- New York Gallery, Ex Sebastian Fernandez NYC coll. London Collection of Peter Sloane. Apr 2007.

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#113488

  • Condition: Slight cracking at base, but the design is clear.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

December 1, 2016 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000