Carved wood, 8 7/8” height of cylindrical form with spread foot and two relief carved masks in traditional Pende style, flanked by lattice panels. Well carved with fine patina throughout. Among the Pende, the sharing of palm wine was a social activity. The cups in which it is served are reflections of the host’s status. The Pende practiced slavery and maintained a form of it thinly disguised as reuniting slaves with their blood families, into the 20th century.
