Female ancestor spirit mask "mwana pwo" · Angola / Zambia, Luena / Luvale / Luchazi · ID: 3046482
Amsterdam Collection, The Netherlands
Peter Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden
Description
wood, minor missing parts, base
The Luvale (also called Lovale, in Angola Luena or Lwena) are a matrilineal Bantu people who live in the east of Angola and in the west of Zambia.
Various ethnical groups in the area of the upper Sambesi and the southern Kasai area use the “mwana phwevo” mask type.
Like “mwana pwo”, “mwana phwevo” represents a female ancestor and is related to the “mukanda” initiation of the young men.
The object Female ancestor spirit mask “mwana pwo” with the object ID 3046482 was part of the auction 94th Tribal Art Auction on March 7, 2020. The object with the lot number 99 achieved a sales price of EUR 900 with an asking price of EUR 800.
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.
Publications
AHDRC: 0170766