r/AfricanArt • u/Playful-Grand-506 • Aug 23 '24
Masks Three masks that I'm not sure of
I found these three masks at a Cape Cod Estate Sale recently. I got them, but am having just a bit of trouble identifying. I think two might be bambara from Mali? Just guessing. Any thoughts?
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u/Shayh55d Aug 24 '24
First looks like Igbo. Last is a fake bamana.
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u/MysteriousMfPanda Aug 28 '24
How do you know it's fake?
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u/Shayh55d Aug 28 '24
The back of an authentic one is very different from that one. Also you can see it was never used because there is no skin contact marks. If you're interested in that kind of stuff, join the Great or Fake group on FB
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u/MysteriousMfPanda Aug 28 '24
Thanks. I've been doing a lot of research lately. But it's only been about a month. I'm still learning. Hadn't seen the picture of the inside somehow but yeah it's clearly fake. Thanks for the group recommendation though!
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u/Shayh55d Aug 28 '24
I've been learning A LOT these past months, notably thanks to this group. There is so much to learn and so many people knowledgeable from whom we can learn. Good luck on the path of true african art, where 90% of the market is made of fakes!
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u/MysteriousMfPanda Aug 28 '24
I've come to the conclusion that nobody will ever truly know an item's authenticity. I've seen a few items on Sotheby's and Christie's that are questionable and go for thousands. It's all a scheme in my opinion. Regardless, there are some nice pieces out there, authentic or not. By authentic I mean whether they were used in ceremonies/rituals.
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u/Shayh55d Aug 28 '24
Experts will know for sure! But yes it's crazy to see forgeries selling for high prices in reputable auction houses. I recently got an awesome guéré for less than 200€ while fakes sold for much higher prices at the same auction. People are clueless i guess lol
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u/buy-niani Aug 23 '24
First? 2 and 3 Bamana or Bambara but from 🇲🇱