Face mask "vavampwevo" ·  Zambia, Luchazi · ID: 3034517

Description

wood, red and black paint, elaborate coiffure made from plaited plant fibres and thin rubber stripes, decorated with coloured strings of glass beads, pierced around the rim, metal socle;
the artistic expression of the Luchazi are similar to those of the Luena. Their masks can be divided into two main categories: “makisi vavamala” (masks of the men) and “makisi vavampwevo” (masks of the women). The name of the mask “young woman” (“pwevo) refers to a mythic person, who died young and whose bereavement was recalled by dancing this type of mask. The masks were danced by men for entertainment and appeared on various festive occasions.

The object Face mask “vavampwevo” with the object ID 3034517 was last part of the auction 72nd tribal art auction at March 9, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 497 achieved a sales price of EUR 6,000.

You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.

Comparing literature

Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 391