This is the rating and price for Cameroon Wood Helmet Mask

Description : Africa, northwest Cameroon, Bamun Kingdom, ca. 20th century CE. An impressive wood helmet mask of sizeable form displaying an over-sized head crowned by a towering, openwork headdress. The expressive visage presents generously lidded, almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips parted to reveal 2 rows of sharp, jagged teeth. His cheeks are adorned with incised cruciform designs, likely representing ceremonial scarification. A petite pair of pointed ears sits just below the elaborate headdress, which is comprised of 3 horizontal rows of openwork, geometric patterns flanked by zigzag top and bottom peripheries. A rich, espresso-hued pigment envelops the entirety of the piece, save for the fierce teeth, which are white. Size: 9.5 W x 19.2 H (24.1 cm x 48.8 cm) This mask was likely created for the Kwifo, a secret male society the Bamun people. The face of the wearer would have been hidden within a costume of the Kwifo. The Kwifo society enforces the laws of the king, preserves social order, and maintains ancestral values. In effect, they are a police force answerable to the king that carry out orders and punishments at night. In fact, the word kwifo literally means night. They usually perform in large groups of 8 to 30 people accompanied by musical instruments, in particular drums, rattles, and the xylophone, all the while maintaining their anonymity by wearing masks like this example. When they make special appearances at memorials to members, they are especially impressive and received with awe and reverence! Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, ex-private American collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm. Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #170824
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