Male and Female Wall Mask Pair, Carved Sese Wood, Ghana

A pair of hand carved wall masks, one male and one female, in sese wood with a dark brown finish, each about 46cm tall and sold together as a set of two. The female mask wears carved plaits falling either side of a ringed neck. The male has ears and a long carved beard. Both have slatted eyes cut right through the wood and a crest running over the crown, and on each forehead and cheek sits a panel with a punched, dotted border in copper and silver tones. The finish is rubbed back to show paler wood on the raised edges. The maker carved them as a pair to speak of complementarity: strength, protection and action in the masculine figure, nurture, wisdom and creativity in the feminine, and the idea that neither stands complete on its own. Displayed side by side they read as one piece, which is why they are sold together. If you want a single mask for a narrow wall, the same store's Prosperity mask is carved in the same wood. Each mask measures about 45.7 x 15.2cm (18 x 6in). Keep them out of direct sun and away from damp, and dust with a dry, soft cloth.