Yoruba Gelede Mask with Bird Face Nigeria

$738.95 Buy It Now or Best Offer, $104.78 Shipping, 30-Day Returns, eBay Money Back Guarantee

Seller: Top-Rated Seller africadirect ✉️ (59,414) 99.9%, Location: Denver, CO, US, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 334884137099 Yoruba Gelede Mask with Bird Face Nigeria. Brand Unbranded Type of Object Mask Country of Origin Nigeria People Yoruba Materials Wood, pigment Approximate Age Mid 20th century Height (in) 18 Width (in) 10.5 Depth (in) 9 Overall Condition Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners. Damage/Repair Dirt, chipped wood,cracks. This Gelede mask comes from the Yoruba who live along the boundary between southwestern Nigeria and present-day Benin (Dahomey). The Gelede form is clear here: the downward-facing gaze and subtle scarification on the cheeks accompanied by the round forehead. Gelede masks are often decorated with animals or other motifs on top; this one has an abstract bird. The Yoruba are known to apply colorful pigments to their facial features, too. Among the Yoruba Gelede masks dance of the ‘mothers’, good witches who propitiate and control the power of the ‘bad’ witches who fly at night causing human misfortune, illness, and death. When Gelede appears, they dance in pairs in a tightly structured and complexly choreographed dance accompanied by singing and drumming. Most ‘witch-catching’ Gelede masks are carved from a single piece of wood to be worn on the top of the head over the forehead with a multicolored costume made up of numerous panels of brightly colored cloth completely covering the body from head to foot. The panels of cloth will flare outwards while being danced giving the dancer a dynamic appearance. Gelede performances may extend over several days with different dance forms and movements. When performing the masks dance as a coordinated pair often with mirror-like movements during in an athletic and vigorous dance that often interacts with the audience. Their energetic dance steps will often kick up the dust so that they appear to float above the earth and the anklet bells that they wear to reinforce the rhythm of the music. Gelede masks will also reflect local traditions of facial marking and symbolic headdresses whereas this example bring to mind the beautiful and classic sculpted heads of ancient Ife. AG0523 **146938** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2023 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. Africa Direct, Inc. has been selling on eBay since 1997 and has received more than 56,000 positive feedbacks. It is owned by Eliza and Sara, who began the company after spending a year wandering southern Africa in a camper van with their multi-racial family. They have been honored with eBay's Hall of Fame award, and by eBay Giving Works, through which they have raised more than $125,000 in charity auctions. Customer Service : We treasure our many long term customers, and will try to make you one of them! If you have problems, please tell us... we care! Handling Time : We ship daily except Sundays and holidays. Most orders go out the same day, and all go out within 48 hours. Returns : We want you to be happy with your purchase. You're welcome to return an item within 30 days in the same condition you received it--just let us know you're returning it. You may have either a credit or a refund for your purchase price, not including shipping both ways. If your original payment was made through PayPal, we'll refund you through PayPal; if you paid us directly with your credit card, we'll refund the credit card. Combining Shipping : You are welcome to wait to pay, and to combine multiple items for shipping. We ask that you keep each order to 10 days or 10 items, whichever comes first--then start another order. When you're ready, just send us a list of item numbers or an invoice request and we'll send you an invoice. You can pay by Paypal or credit card. U.S. Shipping : Our staff take great care in packing our artwork, much of which is antique, irregularly-shaped, and fragile. The cost of labor and the special packing materials used is reflected in our shipping price. Our U.S. shipping charges also include insurance; we self-insure on smaller orders. For these reasons, our shipping and handling charges may be more than the price of postage. . International Shipping : We ship dozens of international orders each week, to customers on every continent except Antarctica! The shipping charges included in our listings are for U.S. orders. Contact us for shipping charges to your country. We offer uninsured USPS First Class airmail, insured Priority airmail, and insured Express airmail to most parts of the world, depending on the weight, volume, and value of an item. We also ship via FedEx or DHL on request. Import duties, taxes, and charges are NOT INCLUDED in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding / buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them for additional shipping charges. And please do not ask us to mark merchandise values below the actual value or mark items as "gifts"--U.S. and International government regulations prohibit such behavior. Newsletter, previews and special offers : Sign up for our newsletter Go to Africa Direct Store author: None, Maker: Yoruba Artisan, style: None, Material: Wood, brand: Unbranded, type: Mask, Color: Brown, Tribe: Yoruba, Original/Reproduction: Original

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  •  Seller - 59,414+ items sold. 0.1% negative feedback. Top-Rated Plus! Top-Rated Seller, 30-day return policy, ships in 1 business day with tracking.

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