Guro Zamble mask Antelope Mask
Height : 49
cm (19¼ in.)
Tribe: Gouro Zamble
This animal mask shows teeth and tongue, half circular split eyes, and horns.
Black, white, and brown pigments.
Provenance: Edouard des Courières (1896-1987) is coming from a family active
since the sixteenth century in book printing and edition.
He had a military formation, and was also a well-known Art collector and Art
critic.
He wrote books about Armand Guillaumin, Kees van Dongen and did studies about
the sculptures of Pompon and Chana Orloff.
This fine and old mask is sold
This type of dance mask was used to protect the young woman against sorcerers
according the description of a similar
mask at the Spurlock
museum.
Anne-Marie Bouttiaux (Tervueren Museum) explains
at Afrique
virtuelle that this type of mask is half leopard, half Antelope, and used
during mask fights at family funerals. Since this is quite expensive, several
family's organize this together and the masks of different villages fight
together to show the power of evil spirits. The dancers and also the members of
the society protect themselves with many "gris-gris" and are usually
drunk and paranoid during these Zamble dances against the sorcerers.
At the end of the day the winning mask who did
the most powerful dances is announced by one of the spectators, and everybody is
afraid from the vengeance of the loosing mask.
click thumbs for larger views
This old Guro Zamble from the Edouard des Courières
collection is sold
+32
3 227.35.40
