Fetish with Head of White-Faced Spirit Mask

Punu people, Ogowe River Basin, Gabon, African

19th century

  • Titles Fetish with Head of White-Faced Spirit Mask (Descriptive)
  • Medium wood; pigment; encrustation; metal
  • Dimensions 6 x 1 1/4 x 2 1/4 in. (15.2 x 3.2 x 5.7 cm)
  • Credit Line Gift of Norman Brachfeld, M.D., 1985.453
  • Work Type figure
  • Classification Sculpture

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Standing female figure with flexed knees, arms bent, resting on abdomen, wearing small cap, earrings, and with diamond-shaped mark on forehead. Nails and blades protruding from breasts and front of torso, and holes remaining where some nails removed; umbilical area has small animal skull covered over with organic material. Large nail protruding from back of figure, which is split along the spine, from neck to buttocks.