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Euvrard & Fabre

128 - Punu, Gabon, Mask, wood, kaolin, pigment H.
See original version (French)

Estimate €500 - €700
Sale commission
Description
Punu, Gabon, Mask, wood, kaolin, pigment H. 30 cm – W. 17 cm (on a plinth). The Okuyi mask was worn during acrobatic dances by men perched on stilts. The existence of these rituals was first reported in the mid-19th century by the explorer Paul du Chaillu. The mask was powdered with kaolin; this white pigment also traditionally covered the bodies of women during the ceremony. The slightly curved mouth, the cheekbones, the delicate scarifications on the temples, and the veins of the eyes are highlighted by the red of the padauk. The headdress adorning the forehead, composed of nine scales and known as a magumbi, is a motif of identity referencing the nine primordial clans of the Punu’s mythical history. According to Louis Perrois, the alternation and combination of symbols—between the scarifications on the temples, a distinctive sign of masculinity, and the feminine diadem—is an expression of ancestral endogeneity.
See original version (French)
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About the sale AFRICAN ART – TERRACOTTA FROM THE INDUS VALLEY – PRE-COLUMBIAN ART – OCEANIAN ART – HOPI CULTURE
Auction location
Auction time 06/24/2026 at 1:30 PM
Ref. : 3358 - 32
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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