Description: Welcome To The Premier Place For Serious Collectors of Fine Authentic African Tribal Art Over 10 Years Online Serving Thousands of Satisfied Customers Offering the Finest Quality Sub-Saharan African Art Spectacular African Burkina Faso / Mali Gurunsi Mask Measurement: Height: 38 Width: 11.5 Depth: 9 Inches Measurement: Height: 96.5 Width: 29.5 Depth: 23 Centimeters Measurement Mask Only Material: Wood, Pigment Estimated Age: Early - Mid 20th Century Condition: Good Remarks: Large balance carving geometric designs zoomorphic attributes aged surface INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS WELCOME < Documentation of Authenticity / Provenance Will Be Included With This Piece CONDITION Wood deterioration, lost of pigment, scrapes, chips, age cracks, overall condition good. Thank you and please view my other items. BACKGROUND Gurunsi is a collective term, which includes Gurensi, Kasena, Lyele, Nuna, Nunuma, Sisala, and Winiama. These ethnicities speak dialects of the Gur language, and it was the Mossi who gave the Gurunsi name to the tribes who live in the west and south of the Mossi plateau. Together they number about 200,000 people, the most numerous of which are the Nuna, estimated at 100,000. The Gurunsi live in a region where the tsetse fly, carrier of sleeping sickness fatal to domestic animals, is rampant. As farmers, the Gurunsi adopted the slash-and-burn system of cultivation. During the dry season they also organize large collective fishing expeditions and hunt. The people believe in a creator god, Yi, who withdrew from humankind after the Creation; in the center of the village a shrine is dedicated to him. Moreover, each clan shelters magic objects in a hut – these allow them to communicate with the vital forces of nature. The masks represent the spirits of the bush. They are made in the shape of poles or in the form of animals. They are colored red, black, and white. The eyes protrude, surrounded by concentric circles, with a rather short snout on the animal masks, and a large and protruding mouth on the more abstract masks. They are decorated with geometric motifs, and often repainted. The wearer of the mask may be invisible underneath the fiber skirt and must behave as the animal does, imitating its gait. The mask’s role is important during ceremonies at the end of initiation, at the funerals of notables, and as entertainment on certain market days. Gurunsi statues kept inside huts or on family shrines are reserved for divination. Painter Fred Uhlman words - Most of the artists I admired, Picasso, Modigliani, Deraini, to mention only a few, had collected African art and had been profoundly influenced by it. Shortly afterwards I bought the Baule Fetish and the Baule bobbin which are still two of the finest pieces in my collection. It is easy to see why I bought them and why from that moment I have never stopped collecting. The head of the bobbin or heddle - pulley which is after all only a functional object for the purpose of weaving seemed to me then and today as beautiful as a Greek goddess. The fetish moved me as deeply as the bobbin by its silent tragic dignity and its air of profound meditation. GUARANTEE AUTHENTICITY AND CONDITION OF ITEMS ARE GUARANTEED TO THEIR DESCRIPTION AND PICTURES. QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR MORE DETAIL PICTURES. SHIPPING SHIPPING VIA USPS PARCEL POST OR FEDEX GROUND UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. OTHER SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. INTERNATIONAL VIA USPS PRIORITY MAIL -SHIPPING COST PLEASE INQUIRE. COMBINED SHIPPING: SHIPPING IS ALWAYS COMBINED WHEN POSSIBLE, UNLESS THE PIECE IS TOO LARGE OR DELICATE. SHIPPING TIME: ITEM(S) ARE CAREFULLY PACKAGED AND SHIPPED OUT WITHIN 10 DAYS OF PAYMENT. PACKING FRAGILE ART ITEM NEEDS CAREFUL ATTENTION AND WILL NEVER BE FAST, BUT WE DO OUT BEST TO MAKE SURE IT WILL ARRIVE FOR YOU SAFELY. IF YOU NEED THE ITEM QUICKLY PLEASE EMAIL FIRST FOR ARRANGEMENT. PAYMENT PAYMENT ACCEPTED - PAYPAL.
Price: 2200 USD
Location: Huntersville, North Carolina
End Time: 2024-11-04T15:46:26.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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