African mask, Fang tribe, wood and kaolin

Fang transport mask. This piece is a fang mask from Gabon ▪️ it is carved from a piece of tree…small (19 cm). ♦️: they are not intended to be worn on the face in the conventional sense of a mask. Instead, they are sewn onto pieces of fabric and carried in a pouch. They are usually miniature copies of family masks and allow a spiritual connection of the person wearing the miniature version with that of the parent mask. This mask is very characteristic of the fang. Long thin nose, light wood, coated with kaolin (only a few traces have remained) highlighted with black to draw a heart-shaped face. A domed forehead, half-closed eyes and a small, non-hollowed mouth.