Ekuk tribal mask Kwele Gabon - SOLD OUT
Cubist geometry in African tribal art
Located in northern Gabon and on the border of R. D. Congo, the Kwele sculpt only masks. These reveal a great formal audacity in a stylization sometimes pushed to the extreme.Embodying the spirits of the ekuk forest, in the form of animal or human traits, they operate as part of the bwete cult and intervene in the ceremonial context of the initiation or funeral.
The abstraction of the facial mask is sublimated by the symmetry of the lines and the balance of the flat surfaces, underlined by the chromatic play that gives depth to the heart-shaped face.
Patina visibly very old.African mask in the style of inv reference mask. 71.1936.18.15 of the musée du quai Branly, ex Dr. Pautchenko.
00540
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 50 x 32 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood, kaolin
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection France
- Condition
- Excellent
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Cubist geometry in African tribal art
Located in northern Gabon and on the border of R. D. Congo, the Kwele sculpt only masks. These reveal a great formal audacity in a stylization sometimes pushed to the extreme.Embodying the spirits of the ekuk forest, in the form of animal or human traits, they operate as part of the bwete cult and intervene in the ceremonial context of the initiation or funeral.
The abstraction of the facial mask is sublimated by the symmetry of the lines and the balance of the flat surfaces, underlined by the chromatic play that gives depth to the heart-shaped face.
Patina visibly very old.African mask in the style of inv reference mask. 71.1936.18.15 of the musée du quai Branly, ex Dr. Pautchenko.