Masks

  • No.30 Content Makonde Helmet Mask No.30 Content Makonde Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.30 Content Makonde Helmet Mask No.30 Content Makonde Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.30 Content Makonde Helmet Mask
    • Wood, human hair Origin: Southern Africa (Tanzania region) Interesting facts: Lipiko masks, which in the language of the Makonde people means “helmet mask.” The lipiko are also often referred to as mapiko, a term also used for the masquerade dances in which these are worn, as well as in reference to the dancers themselves. The Mapiko helmet mask is worn by…
  • No.31 Smiling Makonde Helmet Mask No.31 Smiling Makonde Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.31 Smiling Makonde Helmet Mask No.31 Smiling Makonde Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.31 Smiling Makonde Helmet Mask
    • Wood, human hair Origin: Southern Africa (Tanzania region) Interesting facts:  Lipiko masks, which in the language of the Makonde people means “helmet mask.” The lipiko are also often referred to as mapiko, a term also used for the masquerade dances in which these are worn, as well as in reference to the dancers themselves. The Mapiko helmet mask is worn…
  • No.32 Makonde Helmet Mask No.32 Makonde Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.32 Makonde Helmet Mask No.32 Makonde Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.32 Makonde Helmet Mask
    • Wood, human hair Origin: Southern Africa (Mozambique region) Interesting facts: An unusually heavy piece. It's difficult to imagine the strength one would require to perform a traditional dance with this helmet on!  This is perhaps why it is often noted that dancers enter a trance-like state during rites.
  • No.33 Baule Mask No.33 Baule Mask Quick View
    • No.33 Baule Mask No.33 Baule Mask Quick View
    • No.33 Baule Mask
    • Wood, pigment, paint Origin: West Africa (Ivory Coast region) Interesting facts: The Baule are one of the Akan people. They moved west to the Ivory Coast more than 200 years ago and adapted masking traditions from their neighbours, the Guro, Senufo and Yaure people. This mask demonstrates an elaborate coif and refined carving. Circa 1940 curio piece.  Provenance: Acquired from…
  • No.34 Bembe Mask No.34 Bembe Mask Quick View
    • No.34 Bembe Mask No.34 Bembe Mask Quick View
    • No.34 Bembe Mask
    • Wood, Pigment Origin: Central Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo region) Interesting facts: The name Babemba/Babembe means “the people of the lake.”  A zoomorphic mask probably used as a hut mask in initiation ceremonies, with classical Bembe face and huge ocular orbits, in imitation of an owl. The eyes are especially interesting due to their distinct asymmetry.  The tapering face hosts an…
  • No.36 Fang Helmet Mask No.36 Fang Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.36 Fang Helmet Mask No.36 Fang Helmet Mask Quick View
    • No.36 Fang Helmet Mask
    • Wood, pigment Origin: Central Africa (Gabon region) Interesting facts: Compelling in its simplicity this mask boasts a notable patina. In the 1920s and 1930s, several two-headed or multi-faced helmet masks appeared in some collections. The paired faces, usually of different sizes, are made in a characteristic "Fang" style: oval, concave face, incised eyes, pouting mouth and whitish clay coating. Called…
  • No.37 Terracotta Makonde Mask No.37 Terracotta Makonde Mask Quick View
    • No.37 Terracotta Makonde Mask No.37 Terracotta Makonde Mask Quick View
    • No.37 Terracotta Makonde Mask
    • Teracotta Origin: Southern Africa (Mozambique region) Interesting facts: The present work is a Makonde helmet mask worn by young men during initiation ceremonies.  Interestingly, the mask is naked of any characteristic Makonde scarification, lip plug nor filed teeth.  This mask represents the female counterpart to the masks for male initiation, since the women perform the initiation of girls and make…
  • No.45 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.45 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.45 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.45 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.45 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask
    • Carved wood, pigment, raffia Origin: South-central Africa (Zambia region) Interesting facts: According to traditional Chokwe belief, ancestral spirits play the crucial role of 'providing' for living descendants.  The mwana pwo mask represents a female ancestor but is always worn by a male dancer. This mask type represents the abundance associated with the women in Chokwe society and is worn to pay…
  • No.46 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.46 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.46 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.46 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.46 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask
    • Wood,  raffia Origin: Southern Africa (Angola region) Interesting facts: This mask represents a woman adorned with tattoos and raffia. The mask evokes the female ancestors, who are responsible for guarding the community’s fertility. They are represented as beautiful women with balanced features, filed teeth, and delicate scarifications on their cheeks and forehead. This mask is traditionally worn by males during the…
  • No.47 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.47 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.47 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.47 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.47 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask
    • Wood, metal and coin earrings - Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1957) Origin: Southern Africa (Angola region) Interesting facts: Most Chokwe are found in Angola or Congo DRC. Known as pwo (woman) or mwana pwo (young pretty woman), this type of mask is worn by men whose outfits include breasts carved in wood and fastened to their netted costume. This mask evokes…
  • No.48 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.48 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.48 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask No.48 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask Quick View
    • No.48 Chokwe “Mwana Pwo” Mask
    • Wood Origin: South-central Africa (Zambia region) Interesting facts: Most Chokwe are found in Angola or Congo DRC. Known as pwo (woman) or mwana pwo (young pretty woman), this type of mask is worn by men whose outfits include breasts carved in wood and fastened to their netted costume. The masks evoke female ancestors, who are responsible for guarding the community’s…
  • No.49 Ovimbundu-Chokwe (Mwana Pwo) Mask No.49 Ovimbundu-Chokwe (Mwana Pwo) Mask Quick View
    • No.49 Ovimbundu-Chokwe (Mwana Pwo) Mask No.49 Ovimbundu-Chokwe (Mwana Pwo) Mask Quick View
    • No.49 Ovimbundu-Chokwe (Mwana Pwo) Mask
    • Wood, raffia, beads, metal, copper wire, pigment, cloth. Origin: West-coast of south-central Africa (Angola) Interesting facts: The Ovimbundu-Chokwe (Mwana Pwo) figure represents an important female ancestor. According to Chokwe belief, ancestral spirits play the crucial role of 'providing' for living descendants. The Chokwe people therefore created masks with the intent to honour their ancestors in order to gain protection from intruders or…
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