These two masks are called Ngils. Their design is unique to the Fang people who are spread out in South Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The first mask is quite nice. The second (front view only) is beautiful, larger, and appears to be old and used. Actually, both have been made by talented professional carvers for sale to collectors. Maybe you could buy the first one for $100 and the second for $500 in this economic climate. Regardless, these two examples would look great in any collection of African traditional art. Most of the masks you see in tourist shops, eBay, thrift shops and garage sales are not nearly this…

Q:  I have a large mask from up-country in the Ivory Coast. It was purchased in 2009 in the city of Man. I believe this is the original article and not a tourist “knock off”. I’m looking for more information as to origins and price. I’ll send you a side and a rear view soon.  Dave, 1004 A:  Yeah, it looks real to me as well. Since the Dan people are all around Man in the West of Ivory Coast, and since the culture occasionally uses large masks, let’s start with that possibility. Send more pics when you can. I hope someone who specializes in African material will help us…

This is an older mask in the collection of the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Similar to the previous mask sent to us by Marc, it’s from the same Bamileke people of the Cameroon Grasslands, but this one is worth much, much more. It was made by a famous carver for the king around 1900 and collected in 1925 by a French missionary.  994 It is a masterpiece! Look at how highly abstracted it is. Only a respected carver could get away with this much creativity. Also note that the design is simple and powerful, and that the textured areas are skillfully rendered. Truly great masks are of high quality… not…

Q:  This mask has been in my family for around 50 years. We don’t know much about it, but it was a gift from a doctor who traveled in Africa. I’m trying to get pointed in the right direction, any help would be great!  Marc, 996 A:  The right direction would be the Grasslands Region of Northern Cameroon. Perhaps the carver is from the Bamileke tribe, but there are a few other nearby groups with similar styles. The character is traditional, but even though it is at least 50 years old, I suspect it was made for the runners and tourists.  B “Runners” is a term for Africans who make…

Adam:  I’m really very interested in a category of mask that isn’t hugely desirable to the collecting market. I like 20th century pieces that are brightly painted, but have been tribally used, particularly the Nyau masks of the Chewa, Guere masks and Igbo/Yoruba masquerade pieces. Me:  Once I bought a collection of Chewa masks, but they are long gone. Four from that collection are on page 31 of my book, Masks of the World. This image of Elvis Presley is a Nyau mask from the Brooklyn Museum collection. Isn’t it fantastic!? The characters in Nyau Society performances often involves reverse role playing and the masks are sometimes humorous in nature.…

Me:  Before I post this mask you recently acquired, could you tell me more about it? Aaron:  I really don’t know much. I bought it at an auction. It’s the normal size, but it hasn’t been artificially aged. It looks to be 30 years old or so, although who knows. The maker used an oil-based paint, which is pretty unusual in tourist masks but not too uncommon in masks for tribal use, I think. That’s about all I know, other than the general information about the Gelede ceremony from two excellent books, Henry Drewal’s “Gelede: Art and Female Power Among the Yoruba” and Babatunde Lawal’s “The Gelede Spectacle”. Me:  Gelede…

You can have this excellent reference book on your smart phone for just $9.97. The pictures look just as good as the printed book. Here is a Mbangu mask from the Pende people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It represents a hunter who has suffered a stroke from the curse of a sorcerer. Collectors call this a sickness or deformity mask. It is on page 17 of Masks of the World by Ibold & Yohn. You can buy the digital version here on the website or by going directly to Amazon.com. What a wonderful source of info when at an auction, thrift store, tourist shop, etc!

Q:  I bought this one from you a few years back. It has a chip broken off on the back. My guess is my cleaning service might be responsible for that…. Can’t be seen from the front.  Mark, 986 A:  Called an Okoroshi, this handsome mask represents a young woman from the Igbo people of Nigeria. Her coiffure in three parts is composed of rolled braids. But what is really special is her twisted smile. You rarely see one this amusing. Danced at the Okoroshi masquerade during the rainy season, is the opposite of the dark ugly males. I love it.  B+

Q:  I bought this mask for $10 from the Berner’s Auction Gallery in Springfield Ohio. I cannot identify it and believe it may be an Indonesian or Ghanian copy. It measures approximately 18″ long and has cowrie shells and beads in addition to the pigments. Could you help me identify it? Thank you so very much.  Irene,985 A:  This mask from the Kuba people in the Democratic Republic of Congo is generally called a nyet. Horns were added to a mask for the image of power and strength. It has a nice colorful appearance and is further embellished with beadwork and cowries. I think the masks is quite desirable even…

Q:  This was my Father’s and I have no idea where he got it. He had several other masks and pieces of art that were definitely just decoration. This one is different from the rest which raised my curiosity level. Rather small in size but it does fit over my face.  Gary, 982 A:  Your mask is called a Kpelie and comes from the Senufo people of Ivory Coast. These refined face masks represent women, are danced by men, and are usually associated with the Poro association. Called “Beautiful Lady” or Kpelie, they come with many variations, with rich and complex symbolism. There are other Kpelies in the blog archives.…