Master Art

A very fine food dish carved with a stylized ancestor mask projecting from one edge on the rear of the dish. A pierced, raised lug is carved at the opposit edge. The center of the dish is beautifully carved with a complex zoomorphic motif. The presence of the mask is most unusual. The nose is widely pierced through the septum and there was probably a fiber ornamentation attached and the eyes still have traces of red commercial paint. The mask appears to be a brag mask - representing a bush spirit related to hunting and possibly warfare. Hard wood with a good patina of use and age. Ex Karin Schoubye, Neuilly.