"Large Mende Helmet Mask Sierra Leone"
These masks are very remarkable because they are worn and danced by women, which is extremely rare in Africa! Note the folds of the neck, they represent folds of fat, ideal of feminine beauty for the Mende, they also express the abundance and fertility of the earth therefore of the woman. To have them the young girls withdraw for 3 months in the forest, and with many rituals must fatten themselves. These masks are quite heavy because they are made of hard wood and large sizes, this one is 52 cm high, significant internal and external patina of age, slits at the back, wear, beginning of the last century or end of the 19th century. 
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