MMASWQAUNEAS PPWOO 115 carries from one mask to the next with only slight variations. These three examples are remarkably close in the manner in which they are carved. The Iowa and Metropolitan Museum masks include the same forehead chiengelyengelye (cross), mupila (“tear tracks”), and chijingo circular rosette scarification marks on the cheeks/side of face. The private collection example shows a different choice of scarification marks on the mask’s cheeks, opting for a triple interpretation of the mupila (pl. mipila) tears. Two other examples in the collection of the Museu de Etnologia in Lisbon include one that closely follows the Iowa/Metropolitan Museum model (fig. 16) and another, attributed to the same carver, where the carving itself shifts somewhat (fig. 17). On the latter, probably an example of later manufacture in the carver’s career, the stylized facial plane is treated more in the round, creating a mask surface with “softer” contours. The treatment of the eyebrow line also varies to include an incised form of delineation, and the mouth gets more of an inward-pointed treatment at the middle of the lips, with the teeth losing visual significance. The masks attributed to this carver thus retain the specific commitment of an initial, definitive—and artistically effective—style, to vary somewhat (probably) later on with a slight shift in his interpretation of a known form. The essential aesthetic Chokwe elements that the Iowa and Metropolitan Museum masks feature reflect certain of the carving choices of Angolan artists, some of whom opt for more stylization of facial features but with naturalistic accents and details. Others push more toward a broader sense of naturalism in their approach. In some regions, bringing Chokwe stylistic canons to their bare essence makes for expressive forms that carry over to neighboring groups such as the Lwena/Luvale, Luchazi, and Mbunda. A Luvale/Lwena mask from the de Young Museum in San Francisco (fig. 18) is a good example of an Upper Zambezi (Félix and Jordán 1998) style for Pwo masks (called Pwevo in Zambia), with its
CoverT71_FR.qxd_CoverF Vuvi
To see the actual publication please follow the link above