Salampasu Mask – DR Congo – Mid 20th Century – African Tribal Art

Bring home a piece of ancestral heritage with this authentic Chokwe mask from Angola, crafted in the mid-20th century. Rooted in deep cultural tradition, Chokwe masks were once used ...

African Mask with Spears 90s. It is a rare set. Carved from one piece. Spears are ultra light - height 152 cm.

Brass vase from Africa 1990s Great condition.

Wall shelves 1950s Rare piece of craftsmanship with great finish from every angle. Aluminim frame makes it float and has a nice finish with thin stripes of hard wood inserted in pi...

This mid-twentieth century finely carved mask, from the Lega culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displays the typically heart-shaped face of Lega 'Idimu' masks. Traces o...

Early carved wood small Salampasu Warrior's Mask, Zaire, Africa early 20th century, remains of black and white pigments, on custom stand. Mask 10", height on stand 14" strong angul...

A wooden mask from the Salampasu tribe called Mukinka. The mask is covered with copper pieces from 1 x 2 cm and has a beard in vegetal fiber, the top of the head is also covered with...

A Guere wood mask with paint and fiber remnant from We people displayed on a metal stand. The We people (also known as the Krahn or Guere) are an indigenous African people that inhabit areas in nowadays eastern Liberia and western Côte d'Ivoire. Their material culture shares many aspects with the neighboring Dan tribe. Like the Dans, the We use a wide variety of masquerades, which hold important regulatory position within their small, egalitarian communities. Masks are owned by families and used by individual lineage members in contexts of social control, ritual ceremony and entertainment. This type of Guere mask, however, has a distinct fearsome character. The ferocious design with jagged facial expression, bulging tubular eyes are intended for use in mediations between community members, as visual aids during moral lessons, as well as forms of entertainment. By portraying the more frightening nature of the animal, the mask is viewed as powerful and may have been used as part of social control methods prior to the introduction of Western law systems during the colonial period. The mask on offer, based on our examination, appears to be an original one that was used natively instead of reproduction made for the tourist market. The surface presents apparently genuine patina consistent with use. The red paint that highlights the eyes and gapping mouth also appear original. There are small losses flanking the nose ridge by the eyes, extensive surface accretion, remain of some fiber tassels. The back of the mask reveals chisel marks from hand tools and importantly, stain marks that were likely from repetitive contacts from the nose of the wearer. The mask is 9" in height, and it retains an old Sotheby’s catalog...