240914 - Mende Sowei Sande Society Mask -

Description: Old African Mende Sowei Sande Society Mask from Sierra Leone.Height; 44 cm. x 35 cm wide.Hand carved from a single piece of wood and and collected in the mid of the 20th century and with Certificate of Authenticity.Though many works of art have come out of the Guinea Coast region of West Africa few have as much prominence as the masks worn by the women of the Sande society of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Membership in Sande is exclusively reserved for women for it is the Sande society that initiates young girls into adult status assuring that the girls are instructed in their duties to come as wives and responsible adult members of their village. Sande continues to play a prominent role in women's lives today among the Mende, Temne ,Vai, Bassa, Sherbro, Gola and other peoples of the region. The authority of Sande derives its power and influence from ‚Äòhale', the magic that women control and which resides in the Sowei mask. The authority of Sande and its protection of the young girls as they go through their initiations and as they are instructed in the secrets of Sande is known through the masks worn by senior women members and leaders of the local chapter. The masks known as Sowei are embodiments of ideal beauty and the precepts and ideals held by Sande. The care and attention so obvious in this mask given to details of hair, features of the face and the skill of carving the head and side faces attest to the aesthetic dimension so important in Sande and it's masks. Though carved by a male sculptor, the Sowei mask is the only mask danced by women in West Africa. This is a ‚Äòhelmet mask' worn over the head with a dark costume attached to the small holes at the bottom of the mask, which completely covers the dancer as she whirls and dances with quick steps showing the spirit and power of Sande. The dramatic carving and the prominent forms of the mask reflect the Mende or Vai artist's ability to give shape to the principles and aesthetic ideals of the women's Sande Society, in this instance.A SUMMARY OF OUR AFRICA-GALLERY SELLING POLICIES.Our Africa-gallery specialized in Ethiopian tribal art, collected and sell tribal used art from all over Africa and special from Ethiopia.Our Gallery have a collection of authentic, original and traditional art from Africa. This collection including masks, statues, pottery, musical instruments, manuscripts, headrests and other antique, primitive art and various unusual items.I hardly ever buy direct from Africa. All my items that I sell are old and (tribal) used. My objects come from European and American private collections, auction houses, fellow dealers and other collectors from around the world.This site gives you an impression of our stock and activities. Authentic, museum quality African tribal art at wholesale pricesWe strive to provide deeper public appreciation for high quality African art and to make it accessible to all collectors.High quality masks, carvings, statues, fetishes, animal figures, ritual objects and bronzes displayed here will add beauty to any home and value to any collection.In addition, an ever-growing demand for rapidly disappearing original African tribal art makes it a sound investment.As long-time experienced collectors, we carefully select and authenticate every artifact. Shown here are original, high quality, hand-crafted pieces made of wood or bronze which can be yours at a fraction of gallery prices! Years of traditional use added distinction to many of them.We guarantee the authenticity of every item and your complete satisfaction. We make every effort to research and document the history of each artifact.In our gallery you will find a nice selection of our stock. If you find something that is not on the site, let us know. We always have a large stock of items that are not on our site.Please let us know if you do not see items you want. We may be able to find them for you.Stand - The stand is not included in the price, you can buy it via the "stands" button.Payment - PayPal preferred. For other payment methods please contact us before bidding. Shipping - We ship worldwide. We try and get shipments out as quickly as possible after payment, usually shipping four times weekly. Combined shipping - For buyers of multiple items please email us when done shopping for your combined invoice with reduced shipping fees. For urgent deliveries we can arrange courier shipments via DHL (additional charges incurred to be covered by the buyer). Delivery – Delivery to most destinations is anywhere between 2 to 8 business days inside Europe and 16 to 21 business days to the rest of the world, after receiving our email confirmation that the item has been shipped. 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Price: 345 USD

Location: Hengelo OV

End Time: 2025-02-12T17:13:15.000Z

Shipping Cost: 49.95 USD