Gelede Yoruba Mask

Mask from the Gèlèdé ritual society, illustrating the cult of the "Mothers", or witches, originally from Hollidjè (Nigeria), with red and blue pigmentation (colors used in the Vodoun religion) based on natural pigments. The Gèlèdé ceremony is composed of two phases, the night dedicated to the representation of divinities and the day dedicated to community celebrations, with diversified representations. This mask must have been a daytime mask, featuring scarification marks (three dots) and signs (intersecting arrows) characteristic of Holli country. At the top of the headdress, there is a sort of cylindrical pierced pivot, which must have served as a promontory for an "aerial" element, perhaps a snake or a bird, community symbols. The object is authentic and has not been restored. It comes from the former Heinz-Werner Fusbahn (1905-1958, Stuttgart/Basel) and Margaret Fusbahn-Billwiller (1907-2001, St. Gallen/Sintra) collections. It dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.