Description:

West Africa, Yoruba peoples, ca. early 20th century CE. A fantastic example of a wooden and cloth Gelede mask. The face is exquisitely carved with repeated triangular patterns that flow horizontally down the cheeks and diagonally across the forehead to meet at the top of the nose. The eyes are half-circle-shaped, the nose lifelike, with flared nostrils, and the lips large and fleshy. The figure is carved with a crested headdress with a wide brim and which has incised, wave-like curved line patterns. In the center of the brim of the headdress is a smoothed figure that looks like a crouched rodent or the body of a spider. A thick, round band of multicolored cloth wraps around the base of the mask. Comes with custom stand. Size: 12.75" L x 9" W x 9.75" H (32.4 cm x 22.9 cm x 24.8 cm); height on stand: 21.5" (54.6 cm)

The Gelede is a celebration of the power of women - spirits, ancestors, and older women of the community - that incorporates art and masked dance in a colorful, lively spectacle. Gelede masks like this one are worn with a bright cloth costume that hangs down from the fabric ring on the bottom of the mask. Mask decorations vary widely, and are meant to show the personality and lineage of the person wearing the mask.

Provenance: Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired prior to 1970

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#123191

  • Condition: Appropriate age wear and fading to the wood and the fabric. Some of the fabric around the neck is torn/frayed, with some loose stitching.

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May 18, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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