GothamGallery Fine African Art - Mende Bundu Mask 15 Start Price USD 4,300.00 Current Price USD 4,300.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, October 25, 2008 End Time Monday, November 24, 2008 Location NYC See more about 'GothamGallery Fine African Art - Mende Bundu Mask 15' Description Offering the Finest Quality Sub-Saharan African Art Very Fine African Sierra Leone Mende Bundu MaskMEASUREMENT: HEIGHT: 16 WIDTH: 8.5 DEPTH: 9.5 INCHES MEASUREMENT: HEIGHT: 41 WIDTH: 21.5 DEPTH: 24 CENTIMETERS MEASUREMENT MASK ONLYMATERIAL: WOODESTIMATED AGE: EARLY 20TH CENTURY CONDITION: VERY GOOD REMARKS: FAMOUS HELMET MASK WITH BLACKEN FINISH SHIPPING: US EAST COAST ESTIMATED $25.00 EXACT RATE USE SHIPPING CALCULATOR INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS WELCOME CONDITIONMinor scrapes and chips, worn spots, faded areas, age cracks, small tribal nail repair to top, overall condition very good. Thank you and please view my other items.BACKGROUNDThe Mende settled in Sierra Leone during the 16th century, having migrated from the north. Today, the Mende live mostly from rice and cocoa farming and are organized into different chiefdoms. Social order and structure are regulated through the Poro male and the Sande female societies. During ceremonies associated with the latter, women wear Bundu masks which embody idealized female beauty and represent an ancestor of the society. These masks are typically of helmet hollow form with elaborate coiffure. The facial features are delicately carved with multiple folds on the neck area representing robustness of health and wealth. The surface of these mask are usually of blacken finish. Painter Fred Uhlman words - Most of the artists I admired, Picasso, Modigliani, Deraini, to mention only a few, had collected African art and had been profoundly influenced by it. Shortly afterwards I bought the Baule Fetish and the Baule bobbin which are still two of the finest pieces in my collection. It is easy to see why I bought them and why from that moment I have never stopped collecting. The head of the bobbin or heddle - pulley which is after all only a functional object for the purpose of weaving seemed to me then and today as beautiful as a Greek goddess. The fetish moved me as deeply as the bobbin by its silent tragic dignity and its air of profound meditation. GUARANTEEAUTHENTICITY AND CONDITION OF ITEMS ARE GUARANTEE TO THEIR DESCRIPTION. IF THE ITEM IS FOUND TO BE NOT AS DESCRIBED OR PICTURED, FULL REIMBURSEMENT OF THE WINNING BID AMOUNT AND SHIPPING CHARGE WILL BE GIVEN.QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR MORE DETAIL PICTURES. EMAIL:GOTHAMGALLERY@AOL.COMSHIPPINGSHIPPING VIA USPS PRIORITY MAIL UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COST PLEASE INQUIRE.PAYMENTPAYMENT ACCEPTED, PAYPAL, MONEY ORDER, CERTIFIED CHECK, PERSONAL CHECK 5 TO 7 DAYS TO CLEAR. OTHER FORMS OF PAYMENT PLEASE INQUIRE FIRST. Please click and check store items GothamGallery Fine African Art 　 PLEASE NOTE GOTHAMGALLERY DOES NOT SEND SECOND CHANCE OFFER COMMUNICATION WILL BE VIA ebay SYSTEM ONLY PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF SCAMS Place a Bid!