Mask – Wood – Makonde – Tanzania

Great wooden Lipico mask from the Makonde people of Tanzania.
The Makonde belong to the Bantu people who originally lived south of Lake Nyassa and later migrated to their present location on the Mueda plateau in northern Mozambique. They survive economically from farming and, occasionally, cattle rearing.
Makonde carvers are prolific producers of masks, statues and decorative objects. The most famous Makonde masks are the helmet masks which are used to mark a boy`s initiation into adulthood.
Masks like these made out of wood are called Lipico and have realistic features, often decorated with wax facial scarifications.
Good condition with a beautiful patina of age. Provenance: Manfred Schäfer, former gallery owner from Ulm, Germany.