Busacca Gallery

African hand carved ear mask African Art, African, Authentic quality Ceremonial or Ancestral African art, craft mask. A large round, imposing hand carved ear mask, The patina is handsome and it appears to be old. Although, the tribe that made the mask is not known, it should be kept in mind that tribes do not necessarily conform to state borders. The mask does not have any holes providing for it to be worn as a face mask. This, apart from the spotted white face, gives further reason to assume that is a ceremonial or ancestral mask that was used lying on it s back. The concave reverse of the mask clearly shows that it is carved out of one piece of wood. Unfortunately this is the most we can fined about this mask.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask

There are an enormous variety of masks used in Africa. In West Africa, masks are used in masquerades that form part of religious ceremonies enacted to communicate with spirits and ancestors. Examples are the masquerades of the Yoruba, Igbo and Edo cultures, including Egungun Masquerades and Northern Edo Masquerades. The masks are usually carved with an extraordinary skill and variety by artists who will usually have received their training as an apprentice to a master carver - frequently it is a tradition that has been passed down within a family through many generations. Such an artist holds a respected position in tribal society because of the work that he or she creates, embodying not only complex craft techniques but also spiritual/social and symbolic knowledge. Masks may also indicate a culture’s ideal of feminine beauty.