Bidjogo Dugn'be or Bull Helmet Mask, Based

A bull's head with true horns and glass eyes. The type was made to charge.

This dugn'be or bull helmet mask, on a base, is Bidjogo, from Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, 20th century, in carved wood, horn, pigment and glass. Among the Bidjogo, young men have traditionally danced bull masks in the performances that mark their passage through age grades, imitating the animal's strength. Long, curving horns are bound on with a dark mastic. Dark patches surround the eyes, each set with a bit of glass in a flat plate. A pale chalky blaze runs down to a broad muzzle with open nostrils. It stands 13.5 inches high and 14 wide.

Standing still does not suit the type.