TRIBAL AFRICAN TCHOKWE MASK FROM ANGOLA / CONGO M184

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Visit Carlton Imports Store for our best African masks African Art: Tribal Mask: Tchokwe Mask Angola / Democratic Republic of Congo Tribal origin: Tchokwe (Chokwe) of Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo Dimensions: H 15in. x W 8.5in. x D 5.5in. Materials: hand carved seasoned wood From Jean-Baptiste Baquart's The Tribal Arts of Africa : "The vast majority of Tchokwe objects are decorated with figures and geometric motifs. Since the Tchokwe tribespeople were in contact with European tradesmen from the 18th century onwards, some of their figures bear a European influence." This mask seems to bear the fruit of both this geometry and the European inclination toward naturalism. It possesses a naturalistic mouth, nose, and eyes. The eyes however, carry an extra layer. T is another plane carved around the eyes, which suggests this mask's ability to see beyond the natural. Add to this the typically Tchokwe forehead scarification, whose symbolism, consisting as it does of a square and four triangles, could be interpreted many different ways, but the overarching idea seems to be one of expansion. Taking these things into consideration, what at first seems naturalistic contains subtle traditional elements that reiterate the notion that with this mask, as with all masks, t is more to than first meets the eye. This mask appears to be read more

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