Description: A WOOD AND ROPE FEMALE 'PWO' MASK
Angola, Tchokwe
32 cm high
Provenance: Vittorio Bellini (1936-2009) collection.
Despite being a female mask, during the rituals the 'pwo' was used by male dancers who wanted to express the virtues of women. The carvings that characterize it reproduce the typical scarification of the adult woman, a distinctive sign of feminine beauty.