Back on May 5th of this year Chris commented on my post which was of a Mexican decorative that happened to be my first mask ever. He was able to buy his first mask cheap because the seller admitted it looked old, but had never been used. That kind of honesty is rare. I just found a great looking Sala Mpasu (the more accurate spelling) on the internet that may look like Chris’s. Bob, 1171 Salampasu masks are easily identified by their bulging foreheads and balls wound of reeds which make up the headpiece and can dangle from the chin. They also have a strong nose and a pointed chin.…
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Another New World Devil Mask
Q: I’ve had this mask in my collection for quite some time now. I found it at a local antique shop for $60.The mask itself measures about 9.5 inches excluding the length of the horns. The horns have been nailed on the mask, and look like real goat horns.I have always believed it to be some kind of hand carved Diablo mask judging by the inside of it. What do you think? Blake, 1170 A: Your mask is a Diablo (Devil) from the state of Totonicapan in WestCentral Guatemala. On pages 252-5 of Guatemala’s Masks & Drama by Jim Pieper you can see several of them and read the story…
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Sheet metal Devil mask
Q: I received this mask as a gift. Want to sell it, but not sure of what to ask for it or where is the best place to sell it. Cristi, 1169 A: The Devil mask is the most common character in the famous carnival or Oruro, Bolivia. Called Supay, he represents the Andean pre-Conquest underworld figure that was lord of the hills. When the Spanish priest came his role was changed to that of the Devil. Many Bolivian parade masks are made of sheet metal. This started hundreds of years ago when the silver mines employed most of the Indians. Later, tin mines became important as well. Today metal…
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Very old Diablo Umo
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Horse bog shoe
It’s not a mask, but it looks like one. For years there have always been a few people who like to collect surprise art objects for their walls. I love this guy and will categorize him under “Misc.” Part of the fun is trying to guess what it really is. Here’s the story. In earlier times horses were employed to work in bogs and marshes where there was a danger of the horse sinking and getting stuck. Bog shoes of cut wood were strapped onto the horse’s hooves to allow the horse to stay above the bog. Think of how a snow shoe works. The bog shoe is big and…
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Chewa mask from Malawi
The Chewa are a Bantu people of central and southern Africa and the largest ethnic group in Malawi. Internationally, the Chewa are mainly known for their masks and their secret societies, called Nyau. Historically, all Chewa men belonged to the secret Nyau society. The society’s masks represent the spirits of the deceased, but they can also be bush spirits or personalities from the wider community including Swahili slave traders, British officials, the Virgin Mary and others with antisocial traits and undesirable values. Unlike most West African masks, these Nyau faces often remind you of someone. This one is particularly special in its color combinations. By searching the Africa category on…
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Toma masquette from Liberia
Recently I had email exchange with Andrew Berz which resulted in him sending us these excellent photos and the following description. Composition: wood, pigment, heavy layered remains of libations/encrustation, feathers, adhesive/tree tar, original fetish charge on the rear Age: late 19th-early 20th century Dimensions: 9″ x 4″ Provenance: Ex. Berz Gallery of African Art, Ex. Michael Rhodes, NY, Ex. Patrick Nuti, US The Toma are prolific carvers, famous for their large Landai masks. Smaller masks of this style are extremely rare. The Toma have lived in the rain forest and their social and political regulations are grounded in the initiation and life activities of the Poro association. This mask is…
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Fasnacht mask from Bavaria
The festival of Fasnacht is a carnival in German folklore that takes place in the few days before Lent in Southern Germany, Switzerland and Alsace. The celebration literally means ‘Fasting Eve’ as it originally referred to the day before the fasting season of Lent. The schools are closed for this festival and all over the Black Forest there are six days of parties and making merry. This particular mask with its strange nose is old and used. Could this be the infamous Ruebezahl?
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Tukuma initiation mask from the Amazon
Q: I have five of what I think are women coming of age ceremonial masks. I would love to get an appraisal. Please let me know how you would like to proceed. Thank you very much for your help! Nikki, 1164 A: Thanks for sending the pictures. Instead of paying me for appraising your five Tukuna masks, let’s see if we can get some comments from from our readers. Like the one pictured here, all have descriptions and prices stapled to the bark cloth. This one is priced at $35, the others range up to $85. When were they brought back from the Amazon? If that was in the 1970’s,…
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Pere mask from the DRC
Q: I was hoping you can identify the possible age and origin of 1 of 2 masks purchased from a local sale here in New Jersey? Both were purchased for less than $10 and the size of the painted wooden one I’m inquiring about here is roughly 10 x 7-1/2 x 5 inches. Can you please help? Jo, 1163 A: Fortunately I was able to discover a similar mask from the Pere of the DRC. They are a semi-nomadic tribe in northeastern area somewhere between the Komo and the Ndaaka that came from Uganda in the 1800’s. It was suggested the mask was used to celebrate the ancestor cult, Ndekele,…
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Yoruba Gelede Mask
Q: I bought this mask last year for $75 on eBay. There is a receipt showing that the mask was sold in 1970 for $275 at a fundraiser for an art museum. I haven’t been able to identify it, but the colonial figure on top is interesting. Thanks for all your help so far. I am a “senior citizen” who began collecting after I bought a mask at our local flea market one year ago, and I hope that I have a few treasures among the trash. Fred, 1162 A: This Gelede wooden headdress is a treasure carved from a single piece of light wood. The human face appears to…
