Female Mask (Gambanda or Kambanda)
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Wood, plant fiber, and colorant
Dimensions
27 × 22 × 28.5 cm
Classification
Mask
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2008.150
About this artwork
Realized in typical Central Pende style, this mask is believed to represent gambanda, the chief's wife. In light of Pende theories about gender and physiognomy, the mask is an ideal expression of a woman's facial features and thus reflects her calm, obedient, peaceful, and self-controlled demeanor. The intricate hairstyle consisting of hundreds of miniature twists imitates a once fashionable hairdo.