Null A pwo dance mask embodying the idealized beauty of the woman, still showing…

Description

A pwo dance mask embodying the idealized beauty of the woman, still showing dental mutilations and scarifications, of a beautiful style it is carved in the appropriate wood, its headdress and net do not seem very old or like the inside of the mask may have suffered from the weather; this being it is perfectly authentic. Tchokwe, Angola Wood, vegetable fibers, pigments, visible wear and small accidents, patina of use. H. 18,5 cm Provenance : - Christine Valluet, Paris. - Collection Nadine Vinot-Postry, Paris.

153

A pwo dance mask embodying the idealized beauty of the woman, still showing dental mutilations and scarifications, of a beautiful style it is carved in the appropriate wood, its headdress and net do not seem very old or like the inside of the mask may have suffered from the weather; this being it is perfectly authentic. Tchokwe, Angola Wood, vegetable fibers, pigments, visible wear and small accidents, patina of use. H. 18,5 cm Provenance : - Christine Valluet, Paris. - Collection Nadine Vinot-Postry, Paris.

Auction is over for this lot. See the results

You may also like

Estim. 1 500 - 2 500 EUR

GOURO, Ivory Coast. Hardwood, black lacquered patina. Dance mask with collar representing a feminine face whose idealized beauty celebrates the woman incarnated in the deity "Gu", wife of "Zamblé" and primordial figure of the Gouro pantheon. The embodiment of this beauty is expressed by the clean lines of the face, the scarification marks on the forehead and the sophisticated hairstyle. First half of the 20th century. Height 35.5 cm Vernacular restoration

Estim. 20 - 40 EUR

ESACADA BEAUTÉ A silk square from André Claude Canova "Soleil d'enfance". two Essaya beauté pareos in blister pack (All in mint condition)

Estim. 480 - 600 EUR

Miniature mask of the type mwana pwo. Chokwe, Angola. H 10,3cm. Reddish in colour, with cross-shaped scarification marks on the forehead and disc-shaped, black-painted marks on both cheeks; remnants of whitish pigment around the eyes and in the pierced ears; the open mouth and the simple coiffure framing the face also partially painted black. The mwana pwo mask represents the female ancestor and bestows fertility on the spectators. The dancer who orders the mask from the carver gives him a copper finger ring - a symbol of a mystical betrothal (and later marriage during the dance). In doing so, he enters into moral and ritual obligations, the non-observance of which brings about the punishment and wrath of the ancestors. The pwo mask also fulfills an educational function: the dancers move gracefully in the hips and thus teach the girls to move nobly and elegantly; the masks may also have been used in initiation rites in the past. Intact. Provenance: Acquired from William Boyd, New York (Armory Fair), 1980s.

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 EUR

Punu mask, Gabon Wood Dimensions: 30.5 x 15 x 16.5 cm Provenance: Private collection, France Private collection, France An essential emblem of African art since the late 19th century, the Punu mask corpus was one of the first to be celebrated by modernists (William Rubin "Primitivism" in 20th Century Art, 1984, p. 300). The Okuyi mask was worn during acrobatic dances by men perched on stilts, and the existence of these rituals was reported as early as the mid-19th century by explorer Paul du Chaillu. Their beauty is an echo, a hymn, a resonance to the power and importance of women in Punu social organization. Subtly embodying, in turn, the spirit of the ancestor and feminine beauty, this mask's idealized appearance, softness and beauty combine and celebrate two opposing entities, two dualities: youth and death, sensual beauty and the serenity of the ancestor and the spirit world. Distinct from the classical corpus, the face and surface traditionally powdered with kaolin, in this rare example presents a light brown patina, almost honey depending on the light. The uniform softness of this color is matched by its curves and delicate features, imbued with a deep quietude, a gentle serenity. A sensitive gaze, underlined by slightly raised, arched eyebrows, her half-closed, finely scarified "coffee bean" eyes express and symbolize an inner vision, a link between the living and the dead. The slightly hemmed, asymmetrical mouth reveals a slight smile. The delicate, refined headdress consists of a sober, chiselled axial shell. This type of ceremonial headdress was widespread in the 19th century in the western part of Gabon, among the Aduma and the Punu of Ngounié.

Online payments are secured by Ingenico and encrypted transactions.

Each lot has been authenticated and appraised by an Auction House.

Consult our FAQ or contact us

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.

More about Drouot

Drouot certified auction houses

Contacts

HÔTEL DROUOT

9, rue Drouot 75009 Paris, France

+33 (0)1 48 00 20 00

[email protected]

DROUOT.com

[email protected]