A «Katoyo» Mask

A «Katoyo» Mask
wood, ivory, fiber and fur
mask possibly representative of the western man
Angolan - Tshokwe
20th C. (mid)
traces of wood insects, many faults and defects
Purchased in Cangumbe, Moxico province, in 1965
Dimensões (altura x comprimento x largura) - 21 cm
Notes: Provenance: Collection of Engineer Elísio Romariz dos Santos Silva, item number 54, mentioned in the collector's notebook: «Angola - Arte Negra, Relação e descrição das peças», identified in it as «Máscara Katoyo»: "The open and twisted mouth has 4 protruding teeth [...] that remind the canines of carnivores. The nose is thin and long. Protruding ears and forehead. It has a notch(?) from ear to ear, passing under the The mask has a "facies" twisted to the right (nose and mouth), with the left face being larger and more prominent than the right, which gives it an expression that I believe is mocking [...]. The mask is that of a professional comic dancer, sometimes armed with a rattle (Pusangu) in each hand or with a rattle and a flyswatter (mufuka). Sotimes, he can also bring a belt (muia) to enhance the movement of the hips when dancing [...]. Purchased in Cangumbe [Moxico] in 1965, through the road foreman Fernando Oliveira [...]". For the same type of mask see bibliography referred by the collector: LIMA, Mesquitela de - "Os Akixi (Mascarados) do Nordeste de Angola". In "Diamag - Publicações Culturais nº 70". Lisboa: Companhia de Diamantes de Angola - Serviços Culturais Dundo - Lunda - Angola - Museu do Dundo, 1967, pp. 142-143 e 145, nºs 1-3.

This lot is subject to CITES export/import restrictions and is duly certified: nr 23PTLX07847C.

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