A masterfully crafted wooden Okuyi mask from Gabon, West Africa dated circa 1940s. This mask type from the Punu Tsengi Peoples, called okuyi or mukudji, represents a beautiful girl coming to the living from the afterlife to pay a benevolent visit. The masks like the current one for auction are worn by men in full body costumes who stand on 8 feet high stilts during ceremonies, feasts and at markets. Okuyi masks were carved from light coloured, lightweight wood, their faces were frequently white by means of kaolin as in this case you can notice some rests of the white pigmentation on ears. Elaborated braided hair style represented through etched patterns and a thin headband. The shape of the eye slits, which seem Asian, is characteristic of all Okuyi masks of the Punu tribe, however they have nothing to do with the Asian arts or its influence. Aside from the angular shape mark on their forehead it has several scarifications indicating it is a piece from the Tsengi Punu groups. Antique And Vintage Ethnographic Arts And Collectibles.

Dimensions: L 9 3/4 in. All measurements are approximate.