The Tribal Mask That Inspired Our Logo
When it came to deciding on a logo for Discover African Art, we immediately knew we wanted to use a mask from our collection for inspiration. We landed on one of our most recent acquisitions, a very old and valuable Chokwe Mwana Pwo mask that dates to the late 19th century or early 20th century. This type of Chokwe mask is an iconic style of mask from Angola with symmetrical facial features, deep set eyes, a v-shaped face and prominent eyebrows. We love this mask not only for its stunning details, but because it has rich symbolism; the mask depicts a Mwana Pwo (a young woman) and represents female ancestors and ideal feminine beauty. Her earrings are made of coins and she wears a headdress made of raffia dyed with vegetable fibers. She is opulent, yet mysterious; a perfect reflection of the beauty of African art.
When it came to our logo, we thought that this particular Chokwe Mwana Pwo mask was simple enough in design to translate well into a logo; yet has bold, prominent features that would make the logo unique. We wanted our logo to be an accurate reflection of our brand, as well as an abstract portrayal our African art collection and this gorgeous Chokwe mask definitely helped us achieve that. We’re thrilled with how the logo turned out–it is elegant, interesting and completely identifiable as the Discover African Art brand. It’s quite an honor to have such a historic and valuable piece in our collection and an honor for it to be the face of our company. Scroll on for detailed pictures of this beauty!
If you’d like to see this mask in person, we can definitely make that happen! We offer private tours of our Boom Room–where we display our most valuable art pieces–including this Chokwe mask! Give us a call and we’ll get you set up with an appointment.
Categories: Behind the Scenes