item details
Overview
This carved wooden mask depicts a naturalstic human head with a well carved face and a strong masculine contour, pierced eyes,and mouth; and finished with a nearly complete full-facial moko (incised tattoo). The overall effect is dramatic and powerful.
The mask has a deep rich patina with red coloured accents. The reverse is hollowed and shaped as if it was made to be worn. However, it has been carved from a dense and heavy wood, which makes it impractical as a face mask. It also has pierced wooden lugs on the side that suggest it was originally affixed or fastened to a support or structure.
Its purpose remains unclear but it may have been made to represent an ancestral figure on an architectural structure, used ceremonially, or possibly erected to signify an area restricted by tapu (sacred) or to mark a boundary between two tribal groups.