Hardwood carved “sowei”, symbol of an idealized female, profusely carved with hairdo of various textured borders, encircled with a row of animal horn forms around the back, and a band of square-shaped talismans at tapered top. The top with tripartite crest surmounted with a seated bird facing back of head. Dark brown-black patina with encrusted deposits.
Provenance:
- Old English collection
- Private NYC collection, USA
- Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, Germany
- Arte Primitivo, Howard S. Rose Gallery, New York, USA
Literature:
- d’Azevedo, W. L., 1973, Mask, Makers and Myth in Western Liberia, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Boone, S. A., 1986, Radiance from the Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art. New Haven and London: Yale University Press
- Phillips, R. B., 1995, Representing Woman: Sande Masquerades of the Mende of Sierra Leone. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
Published:
- Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 4 March 2017. 85th Tribal Art Auction, Lot 114
David Malík PhD
Founder/Director
