Mende, Sierra Leone
Circa 1930
Wood and pigment
Height 14¼ in. (36.2 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Lisbon, Portugal
This Bundu helmet mask is carved with a rounded face, lowered eyes, compressed features, and a high ridged coiffure rising in layered vertical sections above the forehead. Bundu masks are associated with the Sande society and are among the few mask types in Africa worn by women, used during initiation ceremonies and significant events in Mende social life. The full helmet form, lowered gaze, and elaborately arranged coiffure are defining features of the type, where stillness of expression and complexity of surface are understood as complementary qualities.
The dark encrusted patina gives depth to the carved wood and is consistent with ceremonial use and age. The coiffure on this example is particularly well-articulated, with the layered ridges cleanly defined and the overall form well-preserved. Lisbon provenance reflects the pattern of West African material entering Iberian collections, connecting the piece to the Portuguese presence in West Africa and the long history of collecting that followed.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Mende, Sierra Leone
Circa 1930
Wood and pigment
Height 14¼ in. (36.2 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Lisbon, Portugal
This Bundu helmet mask is carved with a rounded face, lowered eyes, compressed features, and a high ridged coiffure rising in layered vertical sections above the forehead. Bundu masks are associated with the Sande society and are among the few mask types in Africa worn by women, used during initiation ceremonies and significant events in Mende social life. The full helmet form, lowered gaze, and elaborately arranged coiffure are defining features of the type, where stillness of expression and complexity of surface are understood as complementary qualities.
The dark encrusted patina gives depth to the carved wood and is consistent with ceremonial use and age. The coiffure on this example is particularly well-articulated, with the layered ridges cleanly defined and the overall form well-preserved. Lisbon provenance reflects the pattern of West African material entering Iberian collections, connecting the piece to the Portuguese presence in West Africa and the long history of collecting that followed.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
