African Ebonized Wood Mask, Four-Prong Crest & Refined Face, West Africa, Mid-20th Century — 19 cm — 2C95

The most architecturally dramatic and best-preserved piece in a series of five West African decorative masks — a finely carved miniature African face mask in ebonized hardwood, distinguished by a four-prong fork crest of striking visual power and a face of exceptional refinement and classical composure.

The crest is the defining feature. Four tall, slender prongs rise from the crown in a perfect, evenly spaced fan — each smooth, undecorated, tapering to a sharp point — creating a silhouette of pure graphic authority that reads with immediate impact from across a room. The deliberate restraint of the prong surfaces concentrates all visual energy in the form itself: the rhythm of solid and void between the four prongs, the upward thrust of the fan, the architectural precision of the spacing. At the base of the crest, a diamond and chevron scarification pattern marks the threshold between the spiritual realm above and the human realm below.

The face is the most finely carved of the series — narrow, elongated, and classically composed in the Baoulé-influenced aesthetic of Côte d’Ivoire. A diamond-grid crosshatch scarification band runs across the forehead with great precision. Below: heavy-lidded eyes of great repose; a long, straight, narrow nose of elegant proportion; closed lips with a composed, slightly downward curve — an expression of serene inwardness, of a face turned entirely toward an interior world.

The ebonizing is the richest and most uniform of the series — a deep, even black polished to a lustrous finish that catches the light with particular intensity in the carved recesses. The reverse is in the best condition of the five masks.

This is the piece in the series that most rewards display: the four-prong crest silhouette against a white wall, the refined face below it, the deep black of the ebonized surface — a composition of genuine visual elegance.

Key Details

• Type: Decorative carved wood mask / African export art
• Style: West African — Baoulé/Senufo-influenced; four-prong fork crest
• Origin: West Africa (Côte d’Ivoire / Ghana, most likely)
• Age: Mid-20th century — circa 1960s–1980s
• Material: Ebonized hardwood
• Dimensions: 19 × 4 × 2 cm / 7.5 × 1.6 × 0.8 in
• Display: Wire hanging loop — ready to hang
• Condition: Good overall — best condition of the series; front face and ebonizing excellent; reverse coating more intact than previous pieces
• SKU: 2C95