1 / 4
a close up of a wooden mask with horns on a black backgroundan animal skull on a stand against a black backgroundan image of a bird with a long beak on a black backgroundan image of a wooden mask with horns on a black background
Premium AGUTTES

111 - FANG Fang mask, So.
See original version (French)

Estimate €800 - €1,200
Sale commission
Description
FANG Fang mask, So. 20th century. Height: 62 cm. An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 1AS-9355, indicates a date of 1950 ± 8 years. Light wood with a kaolin patina. The reverse side features a wooden relief for the mask’s mouthpiece. The mouth is highlighted with recent red paint. A black diamond-shaped motif is depicted on the forehead, between two So antelope horns of unequal lengths. The facial features are reminiscent of a cat’s. The suppleness, energy and endurance of the So antelope (regarded as a primordial ancestor among the Fang) and the agility of the cat are the qualities of the Fang warrior held up as a model for young So initiates. The So rite is, in fact, an initiation into the values of the Fang warrior; it evokes war and death as expressions of evil. As the moon is regarded by the Fang as the principal agent of evil, the So is a lunar rite. Provenance: Pierre Redouin Collection. Bibliography: Published in *Le Souffle des Esprits*, Les Éditions de l’Amateur, Pierre & Hadrien Redouin, 2012, p. 73. Description: This rare mask belongs to a tradition that disappeared at the beginning of the century: ‘According to Pierre Alexandre (who had only heard of the existence of horned masks in the Minvoul region, without ever having seen them), it can be estimated that the last major So ceremonies took place around 1940.’
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale The Breath of the Spirits: The Collection of Pierre Redouin and Others
Auction location
Auction time 09/24/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like