Bassa Sowei (Bundu) helmet mask, Liberia

Collected in situ by Charles D. Miller III in Kokopa town, River Cess Compound, Southern Nimba County, Liberia, in the 1970s
Charles D. Miller III, New York

Daniel Mato and Charles Miller III, Sande. Mask and Statues from Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dusseldorf, 1990, pp. 150-151

Very good condition for an object of this age and extremely rare type. Minor chips and abrasions, nicks, marks, and scratches throughout. Some losses in coiffure (insect damage), mostly shallow erosion to surface. Patch of black wax filling a small patch of surface loss to the proper left of the mouth and chin. Chip to piercing of proper left ear. Shallow erosion and some minor cavities of insect loss inside, not extending through thickness of wood. Exceptionally fine black glossy patina with encrustation. Remains of blue pigment on mouth between lips.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A closely related mask, presumably by the same hand, is preserved at the Musée Barbier-Mueller in Geneva (inv. no. "B-M 1003-26").  In her discussion of the Barbier-Mueller mask, Hahner-Herzog (1997: pl. 29) notes: "This helmet mask represents a type worn by members of the Sande women's society at funeral services, festive receptions, in the context of adjudication, and especially during and after initiations of new members into the society.  The hierarchically ordered Sande, like its male complement, the Poro society, has for centuries been one of the central social institutions in Sierra Leone, in some areas of Guinea, and in parts of Liberia, where it has recently become established among the Bassa as well. [...] This mask has a charming face which, by comparison to the schematized features of most Mende masks, is treated quite naturalistically.  Both the design of the face and the unadorned, symmetrical coiffure with an arrangement of parallel braids swept back from the forehead suggest a Bassa attribution."