Amongst the Chokwe, this type of mask, ‘Mwana pwo’, depicts a ‘beautiful girl’ coming from the afterlife on a benevolent visitation of the living, or an important female ancestor. The mask is ‘danced’ on tall stilts by men in tightly plaited full body costumes. The present ‘Mwana pwo mask’ has all the characteristic features of such an object: it is carved from hard, relatively lightweight, light-coloured wood and coloured reddish-brown. The outline of the eyes and the visible rows of pointed teeth are coloured white (with kaolin).
On her wide forehead she displays the typical tribal mark of the Chokwe people, called ‘Cingelyengelye’ (a type of ‘Maltese cross’), incised in recessed relief and extended at each side with a volute line. The eyebrow arches are crafted in relief, high and accentuated. Its recessed, almond-shaped protruding eyes are slit. Under both eyes runs a curved arch of drilled holes. The ears are carved in the typical Chokwe forms. The nose is delicate and small, displaying a central middle line. Both cheeks display the typical tribal, double scarification marks, each consisting of ten small rectangles in relief. These decorative scarification marks are referred to as ‘tears’. The open mouth has beautiful, pouting lips, is almost rectangular and shows two rows of pointed filed teeth (an ideal of beauty). The entire mask is contained within a border of short wooden bars. The bars are wrapped with rattan strips and connected by means of the same strips with the holes in the rim of the mask. Over this border, the braided mask costume was pulled, and also bound into the holes in the rim. A very neatly crafted piece, with slight colour abrasion, due to age, on the front side (forehead, brows, eyes, nose, lips) and a good, shiny usage patina on the inside on the back, where the nose, cheeks and chin of the dancers often rubbed against it.
Height: 26.5 cm; width: c. 19.5 cm.
First half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
Austrian private collection.

Lit.:
‘La Sculpture Tshokwe’ by Marie-Louise Bastin, ill. 40, 41, 43, 44,; ‘Chokwe!’ by Manuel Jordan, ill. 56, 58, 59; ‘Escultura Angolana’ by Marie-Louise Bastin, ill. 163.