A Bamana Marka Korè mask

A Bamana Marka Korè mask of hollowed, oval form, Mali, Central Segou region, on top of the head a crested disc-like coiffure, pierced through for attachments, rectangular eyes with crescent-shaped eyebrows carved with regular short lines, a slender straight nose with a pierced hole protrudes over a half-open mouth; brownish to blackened patina with signs of age and use.

This mask was probably used in initiation rites. The members of initiation societies try to achieve degrees of spiritual knowledge that enabled them to experience a mystic union with divine power to prepare entrance to a perpetual cycle of reincarnation.

Lit.: African masks from the Barbier-Mueller Collection, Geneva.

400 - 500,- Euro

Height: 44 cm

Weight: 1,3 kg