A Bamileke helmet mask
2560
A Bamileke helmet mask
Cameroon Grasslands, of powerful form, bearing a headdress of arrows or spears, with an overall aggressive countenance. Probably from Oko.
height 18in
Estimate:
US$ 5,000 - 7,000
£3,200 - 4,500
€3,700 - 5,200

Footnotes

  • Exhibited:
    Governors State University, IL, 2003
    Krannert Art Museum, IL, 2003
    Belger Art Foundation/University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO, 2004
    Tall Grass Art Association, IL, 2005

    Published:
    Bourgeois and Rodolitz, REMNANTS OF RITUAL: SELECTIONS FROM THE GELBARD COLLECTION OF AFRICAN ART, Ethnos, New York, 2003, p.18, fig.40

    Commissioned and used by the Kwifon secret society in the Grasslands, special masks are worn at the burial of deceased members and to commemorate deceased kings. This example with a ring of spear points surmounting the head signifies the warrior and is worn in the Oku and Babanki region in the same context as the Elephant mask (No. 26-b). The almost glass-like patina and areas of re-carving at the bottom of the helmet indicate significant age and use.

Category: Ethnographic Art / Native American

Auction terms and conditions