This little beauty out of the collection of Boris Kegel-Konietzko belongs to the southeastern Bambara-Region. Tyiwaras from this area are more vertically oriented and delicately carved. And the artistic similarity to the ancestry figures of this tribe is more current.
The decorative details of this headdress from 1940 was renewed before Mr. Kegel-Konietzko collected it in the 1950's.
These realistic almost abstract designed masks are summarized under the term
tyiwara, which in the
Bambara language means tyi = animal, wara = work. They refer to the beginnings of agriculture, when according to legend the antelope gave man the first corn as a gift and taught him how to cultivate it. Hence tyiwaras are danced at agricultural festivities. Thereby the dancer’s body is covered with a gown, which is to be understood as part of the mask. The body, which is bent forward, and two supporting sticks in the dancer’s hands give a perfect imitation of a four- footed animal. The masks are always danced in pairs , which allegorically stands for the power of the combined workforce of man and woman.
Comes with original collectors etiquette from the 1950s.
Info-Link:
Boris Kegel-Konietzko 
