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Makonde Mask Helmet, Africa, Early 20th Century

About the Item

Makonde helmet mask , Tanzania, Africa, early 20th century. Woman's face with a lip plug. The young woman represented wears earrings. Her hairstyle shows three large braids which are sculpted by hand. Carved wood. Width : 11.4"(29cm), Depth : 12.8"(32.5cm), Height: 8.3" (21cm). A shock made during the ceremonies above the right ear caused a crack. Remains of black patina. See photos. The mask is in good age and used condition. Early 20th century. Delivered without seat. Makonda tribes live in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The most famous Makonde masks are helmet masks, called Lipico, which are used to mark a boy's initiation into adulthood. They also used masks with female faces such as this one. Brought from Africa to France in the 1920s, this helmet mask shows traces of use. It has been worn which places it at the beginning of the 20th century at least. The pigments darkening the skin (not the hairstyle) have faded or gone. Some small gaps on some protruding parts. A shock to the top of the skull, apparently due to a pointed weapon, generated star-shaped cracks. This impact is not running through. Finally, a shock above the right ear caused a crack which was sealed on the spot with the means at hand so that the helmet mask could continue to serve.
  • Creator:
    Makonde People (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8.27 in (21 cm)Width: 11.42 in (29 cm)Depth: 12.8 in (32.5 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Wood,Hand-Carved
  • Place of Origin:
    Tanzania
  • Period:
    Early 20th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Early 20th Century
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2312344172022

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