Angola
The carved wooden face shows the classic Chokwe canon: finely incised coiffure, arched brows, slit eyes, and scarification motifs on the forehead and cheeks, all emphasizing refinement and controlled beauty. The mouth projects slightly with a small, rounded lip form, giving the mask a composed, inward expression typical of strong pwo works. The mask represents an idealized, beautiful young woman and is worn by a male dancer during public ceremonies, initiation festivities, and entertainment performances to honor female virtues such as fertility, grace, and social harmony.
This mask had a rare exceptionally elaborate feathered headdress and full fiber network that would have covered the dancer’s head, neck, and shoulders, constructed from a wide, circular armature densely packed with natural feathers of varied tones, producing a dramatic horizontal spread that amplifies the dancer’s presence and suggests status and vitality.
Below the wooden face, a hand‑knotted fiber covering extends downward as a hood; it would have enclosed the performer’s head and neck so that only the mask’s face was visible, visually transforming the wearer into the female spirit being.
In motion, the broad feather disk would have swayed and rustled while the flexible fiber hood clung to the body, enhancing the illusion of a living, dancing woman rather than a male performer. The overall ensemble—face, headdress, and costume—works together to project beauty, fecundity, and social order, making this a powerful ceremonial object rather than a simple portrait.
Size 15" H x 17 1/2" W, 36 1/2" H with stand
Ex-Galerie Jean-Jacques Duiko, acq Amercian coll 1986
