African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask
African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask

African Mende Sande Gonde Helmet Mask

17497

$1,500.00
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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.

All pieces are unconditionally guaranteed authentic and as described in perpetuity and have been legally acquired and imported in full accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations regarding the movement and sale of antiquities.

A signed guarantee of authenticity with a description and photograph of the item(s) accompanies this object.

We ship Tuesday to Friday with UPS or USPS and usually same day if your order is received before 2pm. Depending on size and destination, delivery times range from one to five business days.

For overseas shipments our shipping charge includes packing, preparation of all customs paperwork, insurance and carrier fees in compliance with all USA and International customs requirements.

Overseas shipments are usually sent by courier but contact us if you have a shipping preference. International customers are responsible for all duties and taxes. 

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