Hi all,what do you think of the age of this ceremonial mask from Congo. Looks to have honest wear and good age to me? Some of wooven material is also torn and unraveling. The wooden part is 24cm long and 14cm wide (overall it’s 40cm long with the wooven hood folded flat) Pity about the recent damage to the wood area. Can the mask be antique? Thank you for any comments
Nice find. There are a few on Etsy, maybe you've seen them already. Vintage probably. Could be 1960s-70s, but @2manybooks probably knows.
Thanks for the reply AJ,yes I did see some of the ones on Etsy. Vintage is also good enough. This was about $4 (can’t beat that )
nice mask @Boland ......... just my observation..... the scuffing on the forehead is forced , to give the mask the appearance of age.....but that much wear in that place would have likely torn away the raised beads in the eyebrows........if it were legit ! Plus , the headdress fabric on the top may be dusty , but the rest around the back is too clean and crisp on both sides for it ever to have been worn , or to have any real age... The recent chip off the chin inside.....not a god look either... I'd say , 1980's maybe even 90's ! Imo....
Without a specific history, it can be difficult to assign a date to such examples of African art. The Ngaady a Mwaash is essentially a stock character in Kuba performances. Her depiction follows certain conventions, and the masks display a fairly consistent style. Here are a few examples from museums that have at least approximate dates: Dated c.1880, Peabody Museum - https://peabody.harvard.edu/ngaady-mwaash-kuba-mask Late 19th-early 20th century, Art Institute of Chicago - https://www.artic.edu/artworks/106184/face-mask-ngady-mwaash Before 1966, Liverpool Museum - https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/royal-mask-ngady-amwaash 1950's, Carlos Museum, Emory University - https://collections.carlos.emory.edu/objects/36354/ngady-mwaash-mask The materials used in the masks are also fairly consistent, providing few clues to dating. Combine this with a sophisticated practice of producing copies meant to appeal to western tastes for "old and used", and the best that may be said is that your mask might date to anytime in the last 70 years. I would lean toward the later part of that time period. The Hamill Gallery website has a nice "archives" that presents a selection of Ngaady a Mwaash masks for comparison. They note that many of "These Ngaady masks show no evidence of age or use and were probably made to be sold". https://www.hamillgallery.com/KUBA/KubaMasks/NgaadyMasks/NgaadyMasksArchives.html
after seeing what 2mb posted , I'd be willing to revise my dating to somewhat earlier....... but stand by the rest... ..
@2manybooks Many thanks ,I appreciate the reply and interesting information. Some beautiful masks in the links you provided. Looking at these examples it really seems challenging to date these masks accurately (as you correctly pointed out)
yes , you're right , it is. but.. of the works presented.... earlier masks show more attention to detail...better carving , more elaborate paintng , finer beadwork, and more attention to it's placement , as well as finer headgear that compliments the masks all over design... Yours , under close scrutiny ....is at a lower lever in these areas , and imo , of later mfg for the tourist market.
