Wood, pigment

Origin: Central Africa (Gabon region)

Interesting facts: Compelling in its simplicity this mask boasts a notable patina.

In the 1920s and 1930s, several two-headed or multi-faced helmet masks appeared in some collections. The paired faces, usually of different sizes, are made in a characteristic “Fang” style: oval, concave face, incised eyes, pouting mouth and whitish clay coating. Called Nlo-ngontang (a contraction of the expression nlo ngon ntanga, literally “the face of the daughter of the white man”, borrowed in the early 20th century from the Myene language, in which the word otangani means “white European” ), they were used to denounce evil witchdoctors, because they were entities from the world of the spirits, able to see everything with two or even four pairs of eyes. By fighting against the menace of evil witchcraft, ngontang masks took part in the social regulation of Fang villages in the early 20th century.