Máscara de baile - tschokwe mask - Angola

Of Lunda origin, the Lwena emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repelled by the Chokwe.
Some became slave traders, others, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia and near the Zambezi in Angola.
Their society is matrilineal, exogamous and polygamous. The Lwena became known for their honey-coloured sculptures, embodying figures of deceased ancestors and chiefs, and their masks related to the initiation rites of the mukanda. This mask is engraved with circular patterns associated with ethnic scarifications. These details differentiate him from Tschokwe productions despite the relative similarity of their masks.
Speckled burgundy red and black. Erosions of wood concentrated on the headdress and at the top. Old break under the chin.
Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sanctity of power.
Nevertheless, the Chokwes never fully embraced these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, they eventually seized the capital of Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwe did not have centralized power but great chiefdoms. They were the ones who attracted artists who wanted to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied and quality pieces that the Lunda court.

Provenance:

Galería Raquel Montagut, Barcelona
Argiles Collection, Barcelona