Japanese Iki Ningyo Mask

A bold and powerful kagura mask of the Shinto deity Sarutahiko Okami by Kiyomi Yokota, Showa or Heisei Era, late 20th century, Japan. The mask depicts t...

Two exquisite Japanese musha ningyo dolls, crafted as courtiers, Edo Period, early 19th century, Japan. The older man can be identified as the h...

A fantastic Japanese Aote type Kutani incense burner, koro, in the form a phoenix, Showa era, circa 1930's, Japan. The censer, koro, gracefull...

An attractive and esoteric Japanese carved and gilt wood figure of Fukukenjaku Kannon, Amoghapasa, Meiji period or earlier, Japan. Fukukenjaku Kannon is portrayed in an usual six...

An unusual Japanese carved wood, lacquer, and gilt decorated portrait sculpture of a shogun, Edo Period, early 19th century, Japan. The unidentified shogun (possibly Tokugawa Iey...

A delightful and mischievous pair of Japanese carved and lacquered wood Inari foxes, kitsune, dated Showa year twenty six, corresponding to 1951, Japan. T...

19th Century Japanese Meiji Iki mask A Japanese Meiji period Iki mask dated from the late 19th Century, depicting a dynamic expressive human face, with glass eyes and hair and a burn...

Attributed to the Yoruba people of western Nigeria, this wooden headdress was worn during a masquerade known as egungun. A widespread Yoruba ritual, egungun performances honor a comm...

This helmet mask created by the Mende people of Sierra Leone was made for the women of their tribe to wear while dancing. Commissioned by women for their ...

Very important “Nwantamtay” dance African mask, consisting of three sections: The upper in plain rectangular shape surmounted by a crescent shape moon, the middle with beautiful geometric triangles in black bitumen and white kaolin, surrounding a red cruciform in the centre of remarkable contrasting colors, and the lower part or face inscribed in a circular space that inspired numbered great artists like Joan Miro, Picasso and Henry Moore of a very strongly solar symbolism, with a projecting protuberance emanating from the forehead like a sculpted bird beak, that descents toward the mouth. Concentric eyes harmonize with the circular mouth, both with of elegant proportions. The whole mask exudes a supreme harmony and perfect balance rarely seen in this pieces. The back-side presents nice ware that attested the ancient origin and traces of animistic ceremonies as the use of animal blood residues. The painting of brown bitumen or cola, the natural colorants in red and ocher tones and the white kaolin are original and do not show any repainted or restored areas, giving a freshness rarely seen in old pieces. This exceptional mask Bwa, of the Hound`e Region in Burkina-Fasso, was used it the transit ceremonies and funerals manifesting the presence of “Do”, name given to their God sons, protectors and powerful spirits. The round face also represents an owl, the curving beak of the bird plants a seed into the sun, like a female sexual vulva being fecundated by the male organ; the eternal symbol of Ying and Yang, masculine and feminine, and the quest of life and death. This mask of Primitive facture can be compared to the one in the celebrated Verite Collection (this one being larger) sold in Paris at the Hotel Drouot, Saturday June 17, Lot 59, for 80,000 Euros and remarkably stands out from the Pierre and Tannia Matisse sold in Sotheby’s, New York in May 13, 2011. Another similar piece was published in: “Arman et l’art africain...

Exceptional artistically hand carved wood mask hand painted made of single piece of wood and was made for decorative purpose. Very intriguing and...

Exceptional hand carved wood mask with graphic elements, made of a single piece of wood and was made for decorative purposes. Very intriguing and...