Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

David · 10th October 2023, 07:54 PM

An interesting story that goes along with this.
OK, why is this mask considered so valuable? Firstly is it's rarity, as apparently there are only a few of these in existence today. While a mask like this might possibly gain some value because if it had once been in Picasso's position, i don't believe that kind of provenance would add all that much to this item. Probably the most important aspect of any African mask would be if it saw actual cultural usage. Was this mask actually danced (?) would be the first question on any collector of African masks. This question can usually be answered by careful inspection of the inside of the mask. Most African masks we see on the market were actual made for export or tourism. It appears that this was the real deal. Then there is the rarity of such a mask, as experts seems to no of only a very few authentic examples. Apparently this mask was used by a secret society within the Fang society. The unfortunate last reason i will give for why this mask is seen as being this valuable is because frankly, it is just something that people outside of this secret society are supposed to have. This wasn't simply a part of Fang culture, but a secret society within Fang culture. Even people within the Fang society who are not members of this secret sect would not have the rights to own such a mask. Given that information i am 99.99% positive that this item was not originally obtained in a legitimate manner. And of course, even cultural items obtained under colonial rule that might appear legitimate at first often are not as the duress of the colonial structure can be a major factor in how such items are obtained.
So, super rare, ritually danced mask that ordinary people are not authorized to own equals big gavel prices for rich collectors who want to be the only kids on the bock who own one.
As for the old couple who weren't savvy enough to get the big bucks for it, while i certainly believe you got ripped off by your local antique dealer, you weren't supposed to have this mask in the first place anyway. The question of returning cultural items to their sources is always a touchy one, especially when discussed in collector circles. But a ritual mask for a secret society of the Fang people is a deeply sacred object, not your ordinary artifact. This is probably one that should be returned.

10th October 2023, 07:54 PM	#13
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,031	An interesting story that goes along with this. OK, why is this mask considered so valuable? Firstly is it's rarity, as apparently there are only a few of these in existence today. While a mask like this might possibly gain some value because if it had once been in Picasso's position, i don't believe that kind of provenance would add all that much to this item. Probably the most important aspect of any African mask would be if it saw actual cultural usage. Was this mask actually danced (?) would be the first question on any collector of African masks. This question can usually be answered by careful inspection of the inside of the mask. Most African masks we see on the market were actual made for export or tourism. It appears that this was the real deal. Then there is the rarity of such a mask, as experts seems to no of only a very few authentic examples. Apparently this mask was used by a secret society within the Fang society. The unfortunate last reason i will give for why this mask is seen as being this valuable is because frankly, it is just something that people outside of this secret society are supposed to have. This wasn't simply a part of Fang culture, but a secret society within Fang culture. Even people within the Fang society who are not members of this secret sect would not have the rights to own such a mask. Given that information i am 99.99% positive that this item was not originally obtained in a legitimate manner. And of course, even cultural items obtained under colonial rule that might appear legitimate at first often are not as the duress of the colonial structure can be a major factor in how such items are obtained. So, super rare, ritually danced mask that ordinary people are not authorized to own equals big gavel prices for rich collectors who want to be the only kids on the bock who own one. As for the old couple who weren't savvy enough to get the big bucks for it, while i certainly believe you got ripped off by your local antique dealer, you weren't supposed to have this mask in the first place anyway. The question of returning cultural items to their sources is always a touchy one, especially when discussed in collector circles. But a ritual mask for a secret society of the Fang people is a deeply sacred object, not your ordinary artifact. This is probably one that should be returned.