A very rare and desirable Black Punu carved wooden mask. Punu peoples, Gabon, Africa. Provenance: Ex Jean and Marie Marcellis, France; Purchased prior to 1969. Culture of the mask: Blackened Punu masks are extremely rare; unlike the more common white Punu masks, which performed publicly, these masks were surrounded by secrecy. Known as Ikwara-mokulu, which means "the mask of the night", they were worn during nighttime processions by the tribe. The Ikwara’s ritual efficiency was due to the fear the mask instilled; a fear made even greater by the fact that the masked spirit only came out of the darkness for a few moments. The dancer would have been covered and hidden under an assembly of cloth, raffia and fibers, reinforcing its supernatural character. Contrasting with the blackened face, the whitened eyelids would have attracted the attention towards the mask’s hypnotic gaze.

fair, repair to one attachment hole.