Looking for info on this mask

I've been looking at this mask for a while now and the shops owner is looking to make a deal for a regular. So far finding info on-line is like looking for a needle in a haystack. So I'm hoping some one on TC can help narrow down the search. Red paint on the face and a dark stain/paint on the forehead.

That's African Modern.

My first impression is African...
Unless it's from New Hebrides or New Calcedonia or some lesser known exotic locale off the beaten tourist path.

Buzzy Out

Beat you by one minute, Buzzer :lol:

Bigbrotiki, buzzy.. Thank you for the insight! My first thought was possibly African which is why it's still there. The tag had most of the info on it " tribal mask from??" :P
It did remind me of the one on pg35 of Tiki Modern when I first saw it. I may still pick it up just for being a interesting piece.

[ Edited by: ka'lenatiki 2010-10-31 15:10 ]

It looks like an interpretation of an African Fang mask which if I recall correctly is the inspiration for Tiki Bob:

http://www.masksoftheworld.com/Africa/African%20Fang%20Mask%202.htm

It's African.

But why would not this be the inspiration for Tiki Bob, which is a New Guinea drum....

LA County Museum of Art Collection

You might very well be right. The shape of the drum/mug and the smile (and more) are a match!

I think it was simplicity of the Fang design that drew the original comparison.

Here's another Fang mask:

Alec Yuill Thornton first drew the Tiki Bob character for the menu:

Then the mug was sculpted from that simple, modernist rendering. Is that a rendering of a Papua New Guinea drum?