Originally offered at $650...

West Africa, Mali, Bamana (also Bambara or Banmana), ca. early 20th century CE. A beautiful example of a Chiwara (also Tji Wara), a ritual mask used by the Bamana people in dances and rituals. This horizontal, antelope-shaped carving, would have been perched atop a basketry base and worn with a raffia costume by a dancer. It features short, bent legs on a flat integral base, a long arched body with a raised tail embellished with painted hide and animal hair, a long neck wrapped in hide and strands of red glass beads, a large head with pointed ears, an open mouth with a revealed tongue, a tassel on the forehead, extremely long, curved horns, and twisted fiber strands, cowry shell, and a blue bead adorning the buttocks. Size: 14.9" L x 11.9" H (37.8 cm x 30.2 cm)

To the Bamana peoples, the antelope is regarded as a mythical being who taught humankind how to farm. The word tji means "work" and the word wara means "animal." Hence, tji wara means "working animal."

Provenance: ex-private Dr. Peter Horvath collection, Massachusetts and Florida, USA; ex-Old private New England, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s

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#156725

Fissure near tip of one horn, with small chips along break lines without adhesive. Abrasions and fading to brown pigment, with light encrustations in some recessed areas, and age-commensurate desiccation to fibrous components, and loosening to head atop neck. Fine, deep, oily, saturated, aged patina.