helmet mask
- Museum number
- Af1954,+23.3483
- Description
-
Sowei mask. Carved wooden helmet mask in form of human face, stained black. Compressed lower facial features, large leaf-shaped eye surrounds with narrow central slits. Short flaring nose; oval tube-like mouth. Rounded forehead with vertical incised band carved in relief from bridge of nose to hairline. Protruding ears and three vertical scarification marks beneath each eye. Large central hair ridge with five smaller ridges or animal horns (?) on either side. Short protruding elements (possibly stylised horns?) carved at base of hair ridges. Side and back hair panels have incised geometric patterns. Short curved object carved on top of mask (possibly an amulet?). Two deep neck rings all round mask. Pedestal base pierced on underside with small holes for attachment of black-dyed raffia fringe.
- Production date
- 20thC (early)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 44.50 centimetres
-
Width: 24 centimetres
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Depth: 25 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Carved wooden helmet mask used by the exclusively female Sande (Mende) or Bondo/Bundu (Temne) societies. The mask is traditionally worn by a high-ranking member of the society, the dancing sowei, known as the 'ndoli jowei' among the Mende or 'a-Nowo' among the Temne.
Worn with a raffia costume, the masks typically have a polished black finish, with neck rings, elaborate coiffure and dignified facial expression. The mask is thought to represent conceptions of idealised womanhood.
Stylistically this mask is related to others known from the eastern Mende region which show innovative variations in the representation of the facial features.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Good.
- Acquisition date
- 1954
- Acquisition notes
- Purchased by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum at auction in 1931.
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Af1954,+23.3483
- Additional IDs
-
Previous owner/ex-collection number: 118157 (Wellcome Collection Number)