Fang Wood Reliquary Head, Based

A small, grave face looks out from a very long neck.

This reliquary head is Fang, from Gabon in Central Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. It is wood and glass. Fang families kept the relics of ancestors in bark containers, and carved guardians known as bieri were set to watch over them. The egg-shaped head carries a dark, glossy surface with traces of red. Small openings mark the eyes beneath arched brows, and a long side-lock falls past each ear. The column of the neck runs straight to a wooden base. Nineteen and a half inches high.

It was made to keep watch. The expression has not changed.