Yela Mbole mask
€280.00
Mbole Yela mask, carved from lightweight wood with a dark brown patina. The almost circular face features elongated half-closed eyes, a long straight nose and an open mouth. Numerous perforations beneath the eyes and around the rim were most likely intended for the attachment of costume elements.
Among the Mbole, Yela masks are associated with the Lilwa initiation society, a major institution concerned with education, social discipline and the transmission of communal values. Such masks appeared during ceremonies reserved for initiates and participated in the expression of moral principles, authority and ancestral continuity.
This example is notable for the highly graphic balance of the face, the softness of its volumes and the calm expression created by the lowered eyelids.
Shipping fees
02753
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Circa 1970
- Size
- 27 cm (45 cm with support)
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Very good
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Mbole Yela mask, carved from lightweight wood with a dark brown patina. The almost circular face features elongated half-closed eyes, a long straight nose and an open mouth. Numerous perforations beneath the eyes and around the rim were most likely intended for the attachment of costume elements.
Among the Mbole, Yela masks are associated with the Lilwa initiation society, a major institution concerned with education, social discipline and the transmission of communal values. Such masks appeared during ceremonies reserved for initiates and participated in the expression of moral principles, authority and ancestral continuity.
This example is notable for the highly graphic balance of the face, the softness of its volumes and the calm expression created by the lowered eyelids.