Rare leader mask "n' kang" with metal coating
Click here to view a larger version of the imageLot: 227
93rd Tribal Art AuctionRare leader mask "n' kang" with metal coating
Cameroon Grassfields, Kom
Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
---|---|---|
Werner Muensterberger, New York, USA | H: 11.8 inch | sold |
wood, sheet metal, human hair, cowry shells, plant fibre, base
For a comparable example of these masks with metal coating see Yale van Rijn Archive of African Art, no. 0011204.
As the leader of his group, he leads the members to the performance space and is in charge of their dance style though, as the leader, he dances apart from the others who interact with each other.
The face of the "n' kang" leader mask is thought to represent royalty and lineage ancestors. The dancer wears it along with a tunic covered by tufts of human hair and he holds two staffs, symbols of strength and authority.
Kahan, Leonard et .al., A Cameroon World, New York 2007, p. 136