Mask, D88.233

Wooden, carved mask. Reddish brown wood. Hollow back. Long, flat form. Egg, shaped face, flat, sharp-edged beard. Flat, rectangular ears, incised with zig-zag lines. Long point at top of head. Forehead raised and rounded with 4 vertical scarifications above right eye brow and five vertical scarifications above left eye brow. Cut slits for eyes. Raised triangle for nose. raised lips. Four 'whisker' scarifications to either side of mouth. Four diagonal scarifications on either cheek. Dark brown stain/polish on surface. Ring attached at back for hanging. General appearance is of a 'tourist' copy of a Senufo mask in relatively good condition.

Wooden mask, dark stain on surface Africa/Ghana Donated by Dr Holdsworth, 35 Greenacres St, Macandrew Bay Collected from Ghana,coastal fringe near Accra where lived 1950s Contemporary Nigg Nuke maybe some Nigerian influence Catalogue card: Wooden, carved mask. Red, hard wood. Hollow back. Long, flat form. Egg, shaped face, flat, sharp-edged beard. Flat, rectangular ears, incised with zig-zag lines. Long point at top of head. Forhead [sic], raised and rounded. Cut slits for eyes. Raised triangle for nose. raised lips. Dark brown stain on surface. Ring attached at back for hanging. Donated by Dr Holdsworth, 35 Greenacres St., Macandrew Bay. Collected at Accra, see card D88.223.

Collected from coastal fringe near Accra, Locality, Collected by donor on the coastal fringe of Accra, 1950s

Ghana.

Culture:
Senufo (Item appears to be copy of mask for 'commercial/tourist' trade. It could have been made by any carver of any country or possibly brought in to Ghana by a trader.

Region:
Ivory Coast/though original documentation suggests it was purchased in region of Accra,Ghana. (Perhaps collected in travels or brought in to Ghana by a trader.) (Senufo through primarily in Ivory Coast can also be found through parts of Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Mali.

Description:
Wooden, carved mask. Reddish brown wood. Hollow back. Long, flat form. Egg, shaped face, flat, sharp-edged beard. Flat, rectangular ears, incised with zig-zag lines. Long point at top of head. Forhead [sic], raised and rounded with 4 vertical scarifications above right eye brow and 5 vertical scarifications above left eye brow. Cut slits for eyes. Raised triangle for nose. raised lips. 4 'wisker' scarifications to either side of mouth. 4 diagonal scarifications on either cheek. Dark brown stain/polish on surface. Ring attached at back for hanging. General appearance is of a 'tourist' copy of a Senufo mask in relatively good condition. NOTE: Some 'older' wood borer holes to be seen on back side of 'face' and 'hair'.

Dimensions:
Length (top-bottom) = approx.380mm. Width (across eyebrows from outside edge of 'hair' left to right = approx. 164mm. Depth (from tip of nose to top of outside ridge on back of mask) = approx.44.2mm. —Joel A Vanderburg

Collected from coastal fringe near Accra Ghana