Biombo masks are difficult to identify with certainty because of their stylistic affinities with the traditions of the nearby Kuba peoples. Both cultures create forms that have coffee-bean shaped eyes, bulbous foreheads, and geometric motifs decorating the forehead, cheeks and chin. In this tshimwana mask, a checkerboard-like pattern is augmented with brown and white pigment, while red, typical of Biombo masks, adorns other areas. The carving creates a play of light and shadow, as seen in the curved shapes of the eyebrows and eyelids.

Often thought to depict females, tshimwana masks are likely performed during the course of men’s initiation rites. Holes are pierced in each mask to attach additional components of the dancer’s costume. In the Lang mask, holes are evident along its lower edge and in three pierced projections located at the crown of the mask.

This mask was donated to the Art Centre from the collection of Jacqueline Fry (1923-1991), a noted French specialist in African art and friend of the Langs.