Fang Four-Faced Ngontang Helmet Mask Gabon Africa

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Fang Four-Faced Ngontang Helmet Mask Gabon Africa:
$550.00

TitleFang Four-Faced Ngontang Helmet Mask Gabon AfricaType of ObjectHelmet MaskCountry of OriginGabonPeopleFangMaterialswood, pigment, paint Approximate Agemid / second half 20th centuryDimensions15.5 inches H. x 11 inches Depth. x 11 inches W.Overall ConditionGood Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners. Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use. We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings. Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.Damage/Repairshallow cracks and chips in places, indigenous repairs in one face, holes, dents, scrapes

Additional Information:

A superb Fang helmet mask with four faces in the traditional heart-shaped form. The faces are painted in white and two of them have additional red paint around heads. The top is decorated with a hairstyle in the form of a a hat with crests . Such a mask mask comes from the Fang. It is called Ngontang (or Ngontanga). The original Ngontang mask appeared among the Fang people of Southern Cameroon and Gabon shortly before 1920. It represents a spirit of the dead. visiting as a young white woman from the world beyond. The mask was used to locate sorcerersâthose who misuse spiritual powersâbut also danced at feasts, funerals, celebrations of birth, and on the occasion of an important communal decision. Examples exist from one to four faces. The Fang migrated from the northeast over the centuries into the scattered areas in which they live today. They were a fierce people, seizing lands and villages as they spread. Today they number around 80 clans, and are spread over a vast area. Their geographic distribution, and the isolation and autonomy of the individual clans, has helped create many artisitic sub-styles. Each community is headed by a leader related to the founder of the village. They are mostly farmers, and ancestor worship continues to be the glue that binds each village together. The impact of the Fang in creating a wider appreciation for African art cannot be ignored, and viewing one of their masterpieces can be a thrilling and memorable experience. See another example of Fang mask with four faces in GABON. Galerie Walu, p. 81

Recommended Reading: Binet, J. Societes de danse chez les Fang, (Paris, 1972)Fernandez, J. \'La statuaire Fang-Gabon\', African Arts, 8, No.1, 1974.Fernandez, J. W. and R. L. \'Fang Reliquary Art: Its Quantities and Qualities.\'Cahiers d\'etudes africaines, 15, No. 5. 1975Perrois, L. Statuaire fang, (Paris, 1972)Perrois, L. Sculpture traditionelle du Gabon, (Paris, 1977)Perrois, L. \'Arts du Gabon, Les arts plastiques du Bassin de l\'Ogoue\', Arts d\'Afrique Noire. 1979Perrois, L. Arts ancestral du Gabon dans les collections du Musee, Barbier-Mueller, (Geneva, 1985)Phillips, T, (ed.) Africa, The Art of a Continent, (Munich, 1995)Roy, C. Art and Life in Africa, (Iowa City, 1992)Schmalenbach, W. African Art from the Barbier-Mueller Collection,(Geneva,1988)Tessmann, G. Die Pangwe, (Berlin and New York, 1913(1972))

I have examined this piece and agree with the description.
Niangi Batulukisi, PhD.

**84091**

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