Kuba Raffia Moshambwooy Mask, On stand

Beads, cowries, raffia and cloth, with every inch claiming authority.

This moshambwooy mask, on a stand, is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, 20th century, in beads, cowrie shells, raffia, wood and cloth. Among the Kuba, the moshambwooy is generally linked to royal authority and to Woot, a founding ancestor. A bare wooden face with cowrie eyes sits at the center. Around it, panels of black, white and red beadwork interlace in angular knots. A long, curving form covered in beads and cowries arches overhead. Thick brown raffia hangs in a fringe below. Sixty-one inches high on its stand.

It takes up its space without apology.