AFRICAN BAMUN BAMILEKE GRASSLANDS KIFWON MASK CAMEROON EX HANDLEY COLLECTION

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AFRICAN BAMUN BAMILEKE GRASSLANDS KIFWON MASK CAMEROON EX HANDLEY COLLECTION:
$425.00

Grasslands (Bamileke or Bamun) Kwifoyn Society Headdress - Cameroon
Mid 20th Century, Original
Wood, pigment, patina
Height 48cm ( 19in )Ex-Handley Collection, Los Altos Hills, CA
Property from a James Lewis Estate, San Francisco, CA, 1980\'s-1990\'s

Detailed provenance documentation on file and can accompany the artifact for historical conservation purposes.Cameroon\'s major artistic traditions originate in the area of the Grassfields. The art has its roots in cultural systems in which kings (Fons) and their governments, interact with the men\'s regulatory society (Kwifoyn), to guide the well being of their people. As such, Grassfield art is primarily art of royal status and wealth. Its dominant themes of royalty, authority, and social prestige are carried out in a profusion of symbolic forms. Kwifoyn and Lineage masks perform publicly at the commemorative death celebrations of Fons, title-holders, and at the kingdom\'s annual dance. The performance of Kwifoyn masks is a solemn equation, while the dances of lineage mask groups provide a dimension for entertainment. Large and important lineages are accorded the privilege of owning mask groups. One such lineage group may contain 8 to 30 masks which are danced by the owner\'s male lineage members. The dance sequence is loosely structured but generally includes certain obligatory mask types: a male leader followed by a female mask alternating with male and animal masks and concluding with a second leader mask, usually an animal representation. This second leader mask is usually a high ranking animal symbol. The elephant and leopard are both considered royal animals and their use is limited. Most Grassfield masks are worn on top of the head, over a see through cloth that covers the wearers face. Masking is complete with a vestment enveloping the body and with accoutrements that further identify the role of the mask. Displaying only minor age cracks to the reverese (all stable), the subject mask is in great condition for being of considerable age. Appropriate for age origin and medium.The subject Cameroonian headdress comes from the late James Lewis Collection of San Francisco. Survived by his wife, Lewis had purchased the artifact sometime between the 1980\'s or early 1990\'s from the collection of Silicon Valley Pioneer Raymond G. Handley (1923 - 2009). Handley developed the first solar powered building in Silicon Valley in the mid 1970\'s. After his brother, William Jules Handley, became the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, Africa in 1962, Raymond became interested in the country and wanted to make a difference in the lives of its people, drilling more than 50 water wells for Dogon villages through 300 feet of granite during the 1980\'s. A vibrant, adventurous and highly successful developer of Silicon Valley, Raymond became a keen collector of art and traveled extensively. His journeys took him from the highest mountains of Tibet to the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea and Africa. In the mid 1970\'s his passion lead him to establish Folk Art International/Xanadu Tribal Arts, an ethnographic art business, which allowed him to travel the world purchasing art and antiques for his galleries. His love for real estate and art led him to purchase the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in San Francisco, the prototype for the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, for his art business in the late 1990\'s. Xanadu Gallery now specializes in fine quality antiquities from Asia and the Himalayas as well as some ethnographic works of art. He has been a generous donor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Reference a comparable example at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Accession No. 1992.413. See last photo or review on the museum website.
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