Beninese Wood Wall Mask, "Veiled Queen"

An extraordinary mask, this piece captures the poise and elegance of a Benin queen. An unusually expressive piece, this veiled woman is hand-carved from sese wood. The people of Benin celebrate their most important or significant warriors, kings and queens in the form of masks, as exemplified by Nana Adu Amankwapam I. "This mask is used by the Benin Queen when there is a durbar of chiefs," he says.