Punu Okuyi mask
The Punu in African art in Gabon
African mask from the Punu in Gabon. This is an "Okuyi" or "Mukuyi" type mask. It has a high rounded and striated headdress illustrating the headdresses worn by women in Gabon in the first half of the 20th century. Traditional masks such as this are exclusively female portraits.
Conventionally, the face is bleached with kaolin. The aesthetic of the Okuyi is explained by the sculptor's desire to represent female beauty.
Luscious mouth, frontal diamond scarification worn by women. The headdress also represents the hairstyle worn by Punu women at the beginning of the 20th century.
01679
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Circa 1970
- Size
- 31 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood, kaolin
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection France
- Condition
- Bon
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