Lot 2479

A Punu " Mukudj" mask - H 35 x L22 - Collection number 1103 The sculptor of a "mukudj" mask tries to capture the likeness of the most beautiful woman in his community. This stylized portrait was embellished in classic nineteenth-century fashion with a coiffure composed of a central lobe and two lateral tresses and with cicatrization motifs on the forehead and temples. Kaolin taken from riverbeds, which was associated with healing and with a spiritual, ancestral realm of existence, was applied to the surface of the face. By using this material, the artist both celebrated the beauty of a mortal woman and transformed her into a transcendent being.