Go buffalo mask - Lot 50

Go buffalo mask Mumuye culture, Benue Valley, Nigeria Eroded hardwood, traces of polychromy H. 42 cm - W. 59 cm Provenance: Jean-Pierre Lacoste Collection, Paris - Jean-Pierre Lacoste Collection, Paris Bibliography: - Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley, Fowler Museum at UCLA, 2011 The va buffalo was the most important creature in Mumuye mythology, intervening at every stage of ceremonial life. Its mask danced at the initiation of young men, at the funerals of dignitaries and, of course, accompanied agrarian ceremonies for the fertility of the soil and the coming of the rains. Finally, in certain groups, it was used to unmask sorcerers and combat witchcraft. The mask in the Lacoste collection is a superb illustration of the skilful deconstruction of Mumuye artistic production. The power of the animal is asserted as a value superior to any form of aestheticism. Its unusual age testifies to the prestige it had acquired within its group.