A tall carved wooden mask with the effigy of a female on top , arms open wide, she wears a grass skirt and has a rasied central crest, the face of the mask is classic in form and with painted geomtric designs. Dogon masks surmounted by female figures are called satimbe, commemorating a mythological woman who first discovered and wore a mask. According to myth, her husband stole this mask, and from that time on Dogon women have been prohibited from wearing or coming close in contact with masks. The satimbe also represents the Yasigne, or sisters of the mask which refers to women who are born during the sigi festival, held every sixty years to honor the appearance of death among humans and is part of the Nommo cult. This mask shows plenty of handling and wear and measures 30 inches tall x 25.5 inches wide. Dogon peoples, Mali, Africa. Provenance: Mona and James Gavigan ca. 1980, owners of Volta Place Gallery, Washington DC. Mona Gavigan worked for the Museum of African Art.

Fair, well worn