African wood mask, "Good Tidings"

A personage smiles with delight as a bird alights on his forehead, caressing his face with its beak. By Paul Ntim, this enchanting African mask is carved by hand and embellished with sheets of embossed aluminum. "The people of Bume in the Volta Region of Ghana believe that a beautiful bird will always bring a wise message and good tidings to the community in the early hours of dawn," the artisan says. "Let the world bring good tidings to its citizens." He names the mask Xedzani, a Ewe word that means "beautiful bird."