Songye Wood Kifwebe Mask

Stripes, in the Congo, are never only stripes.

The kifwebe mask is known for its striated surface and for performances tied to societies that kept order. This 20th-century example, wood with pigment, carries the grooves across a domed forehead and down the cheeks, following the closed, heavy-lidded eyes. A narrow nose. A boxy mouth that projects. Incised bands circle the face at its widest. A triangle of red fills the chin, worn through here and there to the wood beneath.

Under eleven inches. Hang it where the light comes in sideways.