Mémoire d’Afrique — Ref. 261
Double-faced mask — Bambara, Mali — African tribal art — Ref. 261
Unavailable
Description
Double-faced mask, Mali, Bambara ethnic group. This double-faced Bambara mask in carved wood embodies the spiritual and material duality central to Bambara cosmogony. Its stylised faces, with refined and geometric features, evoke protective ancestral figures. The prominent forehead decorated with engraved motifs suggests ritual scarification. The natural cracking of the wood and the old patina indicate prolonged ceremonial use, particularly within the Komo or Nama initiatory societies, which regulate community life and rites of passage. This type of mask, worn during ritual dances, symbolises spiritual transformation, wisdom and the connection between the visible and invisible worlds.
Technical details
- Availability
- Unavailable
- Type of piece
- Masque
- Category
- Masks
- Ethnic group
- Bambara
- Country
- Mali
- Materials
- wood
- Dimensions
- H 63 × W 22 × D 27 cm
- Weight
- 3,3 kg
- Estimated dating
- second half 20th c.
- Laboratory test
- Not tested
- Reference
- 261