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  • Africa

    The Most Collected African Masks: A Reference for All Collectors

    March 11, 2025 / No Comments

    Africa is a continent with unparalleled cultural richness, and its masks are among the most iconic and widely recognized artifacts of its many traditions. Used in rituals, ceremonies, and storytelling, these masks hold deep cultural and spiritual significance. Today, we explore five of the most popular African masks, each known for its striking design, powerful symbolism, and historical importance. 1. Kple Kple Mask (Ivory Coast) – The Iconic Baule Mask One of the most well-known African masks, the Kple Kple is used in the Goli dance of the Baule people. With its bold geometric features and distinctive curved horns, it plays a role in ceremonies seeking protection and spiritual balance.…

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    Paula Diaz

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    The always entertaining Gelede

    September 1, 2016

    West African masks in use

    January 3, 2017

    Royal elephant mask

    December 15, 2014
  • This photograph taken on March 24, 2022 shows a "Ngil" mask of the Fang people of Gabon ahead of its auction in March 2022. Photo by Pascal Guyot/AFP via Getty Images
    Africa,  Collecting,  Discover & Learn

    Elderly Duo Discover Their ‘Garage Sale’ African Mask Was a $4.4 Million Jackpot! Now, They Want Their Fair Share!

    November 3, 2023 / No Comments

    Well, folks, here’s a lesson on why garage sales might need more scrutiny! A French grandma, 81, and grandpa, 88, found an old African mask while tidying up their holiday house. They sold it to a local antique dealer for a mere $157, thinking it was just another trinket. Imagine their surprise when they spotted their ‘trinket’ in the news, auctioned off for a whopping $4.4 million! The mask wasn’t just any mask; it was a rare Fang mask with a backstory straight from an adventure novel. Grandpa’s grandpa, who had been a colonial governor in Africa in the early 20th century, brought it home from Gabon. This mask had…

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    Paula Diaz

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    Ogbodo elephant mask from West Africa

    June 17, 2019

    Big, beautiful croc

    October 22, 2014

    Marka style Kore mask

    April 30, 2015
  • Africa,  Collecting,  Discover & Learn

    Why You Probably Shouldn’t Buy That African Mask (But We Know You Will Anyway)

    August 15, 2023 / No Comments

    Oh, so you’ve caught the exotic decor bug, have you? Before you splurge on that “authentic” African mask to add a dash of je ne sais quoi to your living room, let’s talk about the few (or many) reasons why that might not be your best idea. 1. The Historical Baggage First off, let’s be clear: African masks aren’t just fancy wall decorations. Each mask carries the weight of history, culture, and ritual significance. By buying one without understanding its origins, you’re essentially telling your guests, “I have a deep appreciation for beautiful things I know nothing about. 2. Reproduction Galore! Authenticity? More like au-thent-ish. Thanks to the global demand…

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    Paula Diaz

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    Traditional Bobo mask

    May 21, 2017

    Senufo or otherwise

    May 6, 2014

    African Mystery

    October 26, 2020
  • Africa,  Oceania,  Unknown

    Oceanic Mask?

    November 15, 2021 / No Comments

    Q: Daniela ask: Unfortunately I don’t know anything about the mask. We bought it from somebody in Czech.                                                                                                                        

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    Troy

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    African Mystery

    October 26, 2020

    Modern Dogon masks from Mali

    October 29, 2019

    African owl mask with handle

    April 28, 2017
  • Africa

    Northern Rhodesia Mask (now Zambia)

    June 28, 2021 / No Comments

    Q: My mother ordered this mask from a collector in Northern Rhodesia in 1949. (now Zambia). There is a letter from him and a note in the back mentioning a tribe which I cannot read clearly. Maroshe? Mashona is the only tribe I could find close to that spelling. It is made of very dense, dark wood and there was at one time hair attached as topnotch and beard? It may have suffered from the many moves of a Navy family over the years, or it may have come like this.

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    Troy

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    Bozo puppet headpiece from Mali

    March 12, 2020

    Goli mask from West Africa

    December 26, 2018

    Central African mask with nasty smile

    November 1, 2015
  • Africa

    Pende African buffalo mask

    January 17, 2021 / No Comments

    There are several Pende masks on MasksoftheWorld.com. This is the most famous one. It is extremely wide. With big, dramatic eyes on an abstracted design that is perfectly symmetrical. You will never forget it. This is the kind of African art that stunned Europe in the 1800’s. Sharing both a masquerade and an architectural function, the panya ngombe mask of the Eastern or Kasai Pende signifies a wild buffalo, yet in performance it is the mask that collects offerings at the end of initiation festivities. Versions of this mask known as kenene decorate the lintel on a paramount chief’s dwelling.

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    Bob Ibold

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    A pretty girl all dressed up

    September 1, 2014

    Contemporary mask from Africa’s DRC

    September 17, 2019

    From the Bamum of Cameroon

    February 21, 2017
  • Africa

    Typical African masks bought by beginners

    January 16, 2021 / No Comments

    Q:  I fell in love with masks (especially from Africa) after travelling through South Africa. Then I started to buy and collect some. This is my very first mask, which I bought at an auction. I have no idea which country or region it belongs to, or if it could be something authentic or not. Maybe you have an answer for me.  Best regards, Katja  1820 A:  There are many wood carvers in Africa because it is so hard to find descent paying jobs. Every year those people make hundreds of thousands of tribal masks and other carvings for tourists and collectors. Sometimes the masks are as good as the…

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    Bob Ibold

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    Reproductions of African masks can be collectible

    September 23, 2018

    13 Yaka masks in Brussels show

    February 8, 2018

    Decorative tribal-style mask from Africa

    February 20, 2020
  • Africa

    Authentic African Ekpo mask?

    December 28, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Most of the African masks you see on the market today are quickly-made fakes. They always look old and worn. Some are carefully-made reproductions which can be very convincing. Marketing masks is a huge business in Africa. If you’re like me, you want your African mask collection to be authentic. The problem is that I would have to pay at least a few thousand dollars each. But I started about 50 years ago, so I have a few. I have another way of getting an authentic African masks. Search for masks that look like no Caucasian tourist or collector would want them. Pictured here is probably an old and well…

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    Bob Ibold

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    Ibo, Igbo or Igala from Nigeria

    July 17, 2013

    Taking photos of your Mystery Mask

    June 19, 2017

    Ntomo masks from Mali

    June 6, 2020
  • Africa

    Pende pumbu mask

    December 22, 2020 / No Comments

    This cap mask  comes from the Central Pende people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Said to be from the mid to late 20th century art, it is part of the Krannert Art Museum’s collection. It is unusual. For comparison I’m attaching two familiar Pende masks– the black and white sickness mask, and the wonderful bull buffalo. Masquerading enjoyed an extraordinary resurgence in the Central Pende region in the early twentieth century, in part because so many other routes to male prestige had been blocked. In the 1930s, during the Pende rebellion, masquerade performance constituted a form of resistance to Belgian colonial rule. Pende masquerade performance remains vital to…

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    Bob Ibold

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    restored Epa mask

    It looks like it’s just been created

    October 18, 2013

    3 Guro antelope masks from West Africa

    October 15, 2018

    Marka style Kore mask

    April 30, 2015
  • Africa

    Masquerade during the pandemic

    December 11, 2020 / No Comments

    I found this beautiful photo on Google with the following copy: African men and women wearing protective face masks decorated in brightly colored acrylic yarn are the subject of a new collaboration between Pierre Le Riche, who created the masks in Cape Town, and photographer Nonzuzo Gxekwa, who photographed them in Johannesburg. Entitled The Mask Project, the series is being added to the exhibition at THK Gallery, Cape Town, which continues until 29 August. Cases of Covid-19 in South Africa have been increasing by more than 10,000 per day, with the total fast approaching 500,000. The artists say the models were photographed bare-skinned to emphasize our myriad vulnerabilities during the pandemic. ‘I do…

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    Bob Ibold

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    Elvis Presley Nyau mask from Malawi

    July 8, 2016

    The problem with African masks

    January 25, 2020

    Lenape Indian helmet mask?

    November 24, 2015
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Quiz - Test Your Mask Knowledge

Click Here Take The Quiz

Mystery Mask Value Code

A - high value*

B - collectible*

C - decorative art

D - low value

* A and B do not always imply higher dollar value. Most masks get a C or D, however I usually don't post them.

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