This 16th century Benin mask of the Queen Mother was put to auction at Sotheby's of London. The finely carved ivory mask was acquired by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Lionel Gallwey sometime during the late 1800's while performing "service" in Nigeria. However the mask's sale was halted when Gallwey's decedents withdrew the object from the auction table. Pressure from protests both online and in Africa most likely effected the decision. However, other similarly rare objects such as a carved tusk some how remained in the lot.
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