FANG, GABON Ngontang" helmet mask with four faces. Two of them have open mouths, while the other two do not. The open-mouthed faces display a dynamic expressiveness accentuated by their eyes. The mouthless faces, with their eyes closed, have an interiorized expression. This difference in representation probably symbolizes two types of mask and a passage of rank in the initiation society. Each face is ornamented with linear and dotted scarification marks. Streamlined headdresses. Raphia and cords. Wood with localized honey-brown patina, beautiful old wear marks. Dimensions without raffia: H. 25 cm; L. 20 cm. Provenance : This unpublished mask comes from an inheritance and, according to its former owners, was acquired between 1920 and 1924 by their grandfather, corroborating its presumed age at the beginning of the 20th century.

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