Initiation mask - Wood - Gabon - Early 20th century

Vuvi mask. Tsogho Culture, Gabon. Early 20th century. Wood and pigments. Height: 42 cm - Length: 22 cm. Oval wooden mask covered with white pigments and brown ochre for the details in relief, such as its eyebrow arches or its forehead embossing. His eyes are sculpted in the shape of two tapered coffee beans. It features two vertical scarification marks on the cheeks. These masks were used in dances during the nocturnal ceremonies of the initiation society of the Bwete. They were then bearers of spirits called Moghondzi.