Masque anthropomorphe Fang (style société secrète Ngil)

Serves as an emblem of authority for the judicial Ngil secret society, embodying ancestral presence and spiritual judgment. The pale, kaolin-tinted patina evokes the realm of spirits and ancestors. Used in nocturnal rites of justice and purification, the mask was brought forth to unmask sorcerers, settle community grievances, and protect the village from harmful magic.

A masterpiece of minimalist abstraction and elongated geometry. The carving is defined by a sweeping concave heart-shaped face, an exceptionally long, narrow nose extending to a minute mouth at the tip of the chin, and a high, domed forehead. Its pure, stretched proportions profoundly influenced early 20th-century modernists, famously inspiring the elongated sculptural portraits of Amedeo Modigliani.