MENDE, SIERRA LEONE

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This stunning helmet mask, known as sowei, is a work of ritual regalia used by the all-female Sande society, a powerful women's association responsible for the education and moral development of its members. The influence of Sande is widespread in and around Mende territory, and its traditions are found among the Sherbro in Sierra Leone as well as the Bassa and Vai in Liberia.

Sowei represent the guardian spirit of Sande and are worn by the society’s leaders during the initiation rites of young women into adulthood. Embodying ideal feminine traits, their symbolic features confer spiritual power upon their wearers. While some of their details differ, they are typically exquisitely carved and show a highly elaborate coiffure above a small face with smooth forehead, slit eyes, diminutive mouth, and a ringed neck.

This recently rediscovered masterpiece is a beautiful example with crisp, detailed carving and excellent composition. The coiffure, always the lavish focal point of these masks, is a fantastic array of sharp and rounded motifs resembling leaves, petals and medallions, all arranged in the manner of a crown. Angled scarification patterns accent the face below each eye, echoing the graceful striations of the hair that firmly curtains the brow. A dark patina provides high contrast and lustrous highlights.

For a similar mask by the same hand, see Schweizer, Visions of Grace: 100 Masterpieces from the Collection of Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Milan: 5 Continents, 2014:58-59, #18 and Petridis et al., The Language of Beauty in African Art, Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2022:140, #80. The Ngubua Master was active between 1920 and 1950.

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