Lot: 14

94th Tribal Art Auction

Large mask with articulated jaw

Liberia, Grebo / Kran

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Private Collection, Sundsvall, Sweden (1960s)
Swedish Private Collection
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 5 November 2016, Lot 115
Peter Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden
H: 26.4 inch sold

wood, pigments, animal hide/fur, brass tags, metal, plant fibre, separately worked horns with original rattan binding, missing parts/ insect caused damage

Belongs to the "poro" secret society, where each mask embodies a spirit being "ge", bears an individual name and functions as an official of the "poro", i.e. plays a certain role. The masks appear in group ceremonies dedicated to the protective ancestral spirits.