# 1295 Vintage Fang Mask Elongated Face Gabon African Mask 14" H

Superb vintage Fang mask carved from a single piece of heavy wood, featuring an elongated heart-shaped face rendered in striking white red and black  pigmentation. Among the Fang people, such masks are associated with the Ngil society were worn by spiritual leaders during rituals to ward off evil spirits and symbolize wealth and prosperity. This exceptional example measures approximately 14" H × 8" W × 5.25" D,   African masks of this caliber profoundly influenced modernist artists, including Pablo Picasso, whose Cubist innovations drew inspiration from the geometric abstraction and spiritual power embodied in tribal art forms like this one.