Baga Nimba Mask

Carved from a single wood block, the head is organised in profile: the brow projects in a continuous overhang, the nose descends in a single curve, and the mouth remains reduced and contained beneath. The eye is a raised oval, pigmented red, and the face and head are studded with brass tacks set in lines and fields. A tassel hangs from a metal ring at the nose; two further tassels are fixed to metal loops threaded through the carved ears.

From the crown, a double crest rises as two parallel fan-shaped plates, each carved with a field of chevrons within a ridged outer band terminating in a serrated edge. Metal loops and rings are fixed along the crest perimeter, constituting an attachment register external to the carved surface.

The neck is cylindrical, articulated by vertical incised relief. A short horizontal peg projects from the back of the neck. Below, the body expands into a closed, domed volume with pendant breasts, structured by crosshatched panels and repeated lozenge fields. Four legs descend without articulation.

Surface is compact and stable, with exposure at crest edges, leg bases, and points of contact. Pigment and attachments are retained within recessed zones.

Among the Baga, Nimba masks function as shoulder-mounted structures, the carved volume concealing the dancer beneath.

From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.

Title

Baga Nimba Mask

Culture

Baga

Origin

Guinea

Date

19th–20th century

Dimensions

H 125 cm (49.2 in) · W 35 cm (13.8 in)

Medium

Wood, cotton, iron, brass, pigment

Provenance

From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.

Condition

Stable patina; exposure at projecting elements; attachments and pigment retained.