Punu Wood Mukudj Mask, Based

A white face, half-closed eyes, and a coiffure like a crest of wheat.

Punu carvers of Gabon, Central Africa, made this mukudj mask in wood with pigment in the 20th century. Mukudj masks are commonly associated with masquerades that honor women and with funerary and community occasions. The face is oval and painted with white kaolin, with narrow slit eyes and a red mouth, and a diamond-shaped scar pattern sits at the brow. Above, a high, ridged coiffure with side tresses rises in dark brown. The paint is chalky, with areas worn away. It is shown on a stand.

About 16.8 inches tall. Serene, a bit severe, and impossible to ignore.