Okuyi mask - Punu - Gabon
Among the Punu of southwest Gabon, masks of this type used to appear in funeral ceremonies linked to the Mukuyi or Okuyi societies. They often represented ancestors, either male of female, and were worn by dancers who performed acrobatic movements on stilts. These masks inspired a certain amount of fear. Women prefered to stay in their huts while men pretended to chase them away with sticks and stones. Nowadays they are used in village festivities.Most of these masks are strickingly beautiful. The faces are harmonious and gentle, the mouth fleshy and the teeth, although not visible in this example, are often pointed. This was the traditional carved form and had no aggressive connotations. The half-closed eyes with swollen lids suggest somnolence or ecstasy, and the eyebrows are represented by harmonious curves made by pokerwork. Comprising nice points arranged in a lozenge pattern (the figure nine features prominently in African rituals), the scarifications may indicate that this piece represent a woman, since men did not display such marks on their faces. The nose is gently modeled and the hair style, executed with special care, boasts several great loops.The sculptor has fashioned this dead young woman's face with consummate art. She seems to be sleeping, breathing gently and contemplating the spectacle of an afterlife that is closed to human beings.SpecsOriginEx private collection FrenchSize30 x 18 cmDatingCirca 1960Material(s)Wood
00066
Data sheet
- Size
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection France
Among the Punu of southwest Gabon, masks of this type used to appear in funeral ceremonies linked to the Mukuyi or Okuyi societies. They often represented ancestors, either male of female, and were worn by dancers who performed acrobatic movements on stilts. These masks inspired a certain amount of fear. Women prefered to stay in their huts while men pretended to chase them away with sticks and stones. Nowadays they are used in village festivities.Most of these masks are strickingly beautiful. The faces are harmonious and gentle, the mouth fleshy and the teeth, although not visible in this example, are often pointed. This was the traditional carved form and had no aggressive connotations. The half-closed eyes with swollen lids suggest somnolence or ecstasy, and the eyebrows are represented by harmonious curves made by pokerwork. Comprising nice points arranged in a lozenge pattern (the figure nine features prominently in African rituals), the scarifications may indicate that this piece represent a woman, since men did not display such marks on their faces. The nose is gently modeled and the hair style, executed with special care, boasts several great loops.The sculptor has fashioned this dead young woman's face with consummate art. She seems to be sleeping, breathing gently and contemplating the spectacle of an afterlife that is closed to human beings.SpecsOriginEx private collection FrenchSize30 x 18 cmDatingCirca 1960Material(s)Wood