2288034

Ituri Mask from the Lese Tribe #2288034

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:0.00 USD
Ituri Mask from the Lese Tribe #2288034
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A TRULY UNIQUE AND RARE PIECE! DON'T MISS OUT! BID NOW!</em></td>
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A good example of an Ituri initiation mask, probably from the Lese tribe. The spots on the face are said to represent the leopard, in the sense that the leopard possesses knowledge of the forest that the initiate will need. See Felix, "Ituri" (1992), page 311, plate 60, and page 313, plate 61 for related examples from the Uituri stylistic area. This is a more recent example of this fairly rare mask type represented in "Ituri." Before the 1970's, the art from this area of the eastern Congo wasn't known to the outside world; it was largely through the efforts of Marc Felix that this art even became known to the west. As a consequence, few, if any Ituri masks were being collected prior to this period. Most old examples are already in private collections (and their price on the market usually ten times greater than this mask.) 21 x 14 inches, 53 x 35.5cm with raffia; 11.5 x 6.5 inches, 29 x 16.5 cm without raffia. From a renowned and published New York collection.
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<td>Reference
#: 005b</td>
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<tr><td>Condition:Excellent</td></tr>
<tr><td>Year:early 20th Century</td></tr>
<tr><td>Country:Lese Tribe of Africa</td></tr>





<tr><td>Title:Ituri Mask from the Lese Tribe</td></tr>



<tr><td>Location:New York, New York</td></tr>
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