Female Face Mask (Mwana Pwo)

Late 19th/early 20th century

Chokwe
Angola or Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

A popular and frequent occurrence in entertainment masquerades, mwana pwo represents a female ancestor but is always worn by a male dancer. This mask type symbolizes fecundity and the prominent role of women in Chokwe society. Although idealized, its features suggest the individuality of a portrait, raising the possibility that it may be modeled on a particular woman. Mwana pwo often features elements of beauty such as scarification and hairstyles.

Status: On View, Gallery 137
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Chokwe
Title: Female Face Mask (Mwana Pwo)
Place: Angola (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1875–1925
Medium: Wood, fiber, beads, and pigment
Dimensions: 44.5 × 19.3 × 18.7 cm (17 1/2 × 7 5/8 × 7 3/8 in.)
Credit Line: Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment
Reference Number: 1992.731

Art Express, Images of African and African-American Art: A Self-Guided Tour (Art Institute of Chicago, 1996), n.pag. fig. 3.
Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa Teacher Manual (Art Institute of Chicago, 1998), pp. 64–65.
Constantine Petridis et al., Speaking of Objects: African Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2020), p. 132, fig. 2.

Helen and Mace Neufeld, Beverly Hills, CA; sold, Sotheby’s, New York, November 14, 1989, lot 279, to Ravi Kumar, Paris and New York [this and the following according to personal communication from Pace Primitive, dated May 22, 2013, documented in curatorial file; Pace Primitive inventory #54-0383]; sold on consignment by Pace Primitive, New York, NY, to John and Barbara Buxton, Shango Galleries, Dallas, TX, 1992 [Pace Primitive invoice #3501]; sold to the Art Institute, 1992.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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