Baga Nimba Mask
Museum-grade artifact
19th–20th century
Guinea
Certificate of Authenticity
Guinea
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A monumental Baga Nimba shoulder mask of strong horizontal projection and sculptural authority.
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Description
A shoulder mask of the Baga, carried on four columnar legs.
The dominant axis is horizontal: the head projects forward and reads in profile. The brow overhangs; the nose descends in a continuous curve; the mouth is small and closed. A red inset marks the eye. Red tassels hang at chin and cheek; further tassels suspend from metal loops at the ears.
From the crown, a fan crest rises in concentric ridged bands divided by a central chevron channel; the serrated edge is threaded with brown metal rings.
The neck is columnar, worked in vertical and dotted relief. The body forms a broad closed dome with pendant breasts; the surface carries a crosshatched panel and repeating lozenge motifs. Four plain legs form the base.
Patina is dense and stable throughout, with exposed wood at crest edges, leg bases, and areas of contact.
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Context
Among the Baga, Nimba masks function as shoulder structures. The dancer performs concealed beneath the body mass.
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Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection.
Acquired in Ivory Coast (Bouaké region), 1971.
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Available on private enquiry.
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