Bedu Plank Mask from Ivory Coast
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A Bedu plank mask, ivory coast, 20th century. Used during new year fesitivites during dances to ward away sorcerers or bad spirits and usher in fertility and abundant harvests. This large and impressive mask is made from wood. The face of the mask is square and has a three triangulated holes for the eyes and mouth. At the top of the mask is a pair of large horns; this is a male mask as the horns do not meet in a full circle like the female counterparts. The mask is coloured with a white kaolin pigment ground and detailing in red and blue . Height 1820 W 80 cm. Provenance: Previously of a private collection Johannesburg, 19th century J. Hobbs collection
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- Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.
Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.
In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.
In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.
The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.
Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory - Kaolin - Kaolin, also known as china clay, is a white clay mineral that is commonly used in the production of ceramics, paper, paint, and other products. It is composed primarily of the mineral kaolinite, which is a hydrated aluminum silicate. Kaolin is found in many parts of the world, but it is particularly abundant in the southeastern United States, where it is commonly mined. The mineral is formed by the weathering of rocks that contain aluminum silicates, such as feldspar and mica.
The resulting clay is often mixed with other minerals and materials to produce products with specific properties, such as strength, translucency, and whiteness. In the production of ceramics, kaolin is used to make porcelain, which is known for its strength, translucency, and whiteness.
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