Abstract buffalo mask. Chamba, Nigeria. H 66cm. With curved horns and rectangular open mouth; incised dotted circles and angular ornaments. The buffalo masks have various names and are danced at important ceremonies, e.g. funerals, rites of passage or the enthronement of a new king. As a rule, animal masks do not owe their existence to the arbitrariness of a nganga (healer) or a ritual master, but always to a specific historical event, linked to corresponding mythology. This abstract mask, which is particularly sought after because of its artistic conception and great rarity, and whose cult has been able to survive thanks to the retreat area of north-eastern Nigeria and the minimal population, has been especially decorated with circle-dot ornaments. Traces of use and termites, especially on the lower rim; brownish, partly shiny, partly encrusted sacrificial patina, intact. Provenance: ex Gorny and Mosch, auction 283, December 15, 2021, lot 416; ex coll. Jo Christiaens, Belgium; ex Roudillon, Paris.