64 - Antique small Chokwé mask, DR Congo / Angola.

Antique small Chokwé mask, DR Congo / Angola. Carved wood with a deep, lustrous brown-black patina, pigments, and plant fibers. The mask has a narrow, introspective face, defined by slender, almond-shaped eyes accented with white, a long, straight nose, and a slightly parted mouth revealing small teeth. The forehead bears an incised geometric motif characteristic of the Chokwé repertoire, while the carved headdress—particularly understated and original—is extended by an exceptional abundance of ancient fibers, which almost entirely envelop the mask and preserve its remarkable ethnographic presence. First half of the 20th century. Base included. Height: 17 cm