Mende Sande society Sowei helmet mask, Sierra Leone, front view
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 2
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 3
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 4
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 5
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 6
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 7
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 8
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 9
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 10
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 11
Mende Sande society Sowei helmet mask, Sierra Leone, front view
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 2
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 3
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 4
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 5
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 6
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 7
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 8
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 9
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 10
Mende Sande helmet mask, view 11
Mende Sande society Sowei helmet mask, Sierra Leone, front view
Mende Sande society Sowei helmet mask, Sierra Leone, front view Mende Sande helmet mask, view 2 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 3 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 4 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 5 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 6 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 7 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 8 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 9 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 10 Mende Sande helmet mask, view 11

African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask

17497

$1,750
/
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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from Sierra Leone/Liberia,

with some atypical features that could point to a Gonde usage.   The Gonde is an entertainment masquerader that appears alongside the dignified ndoli jowei (dancing Sowei) during Sande society performances, offering parody and comic relief as a counterbalance to the Sowei's idealized beauty and moral authority. Some Gonde masks actually began their lives as Sowei masks and were "repurposed" once damaged or retired from sacred use, so they share the same helmet form, domed coiffure, ringed neck, small features, but are treated as lesser/comical rather than male.

This is a true male counterpart to the women's Sande (Bundu) society showing the classic Sowei/Gonde architecture: domed pale forehead, lobed coiffure with a small finial figure on top, narrow features, and the signature ringed/neck-roll base — consistent with a Mende or Sherbro helmet mask. The worn, cracked, partially repainted (white kaolin/pigment) surface and the somewhat asymmetrical, less-refined carving are characteristics frequently cited for masks reclassified as Gonde after a Sowei life-cycle. So "Gonde rites" are women's Sande rites in their lighter, satirical register

The smooth dome divided into lobes, with a small knob at the apex and bold radiating bands, echoes the coiffure emphasis seen on Sande helmet masks, even though here it is rendered in a more abstract, bulky manner.  Size 15" (38cm) H 

Provenance: From the Estate of Dr David Gardner; New York and FL.

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

Free shipping within the United States on most pieces; oversized works are quoted at checkout. Insurance is available on request. We pack and ship ourselves, usually within two business days. International shipping by USPS or DHL is calculated at checkout; if your country is not listed, write to us. Customs forms state the full value; international buyers are responsible for duties and taxes.

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