Artwork Page for Face Mask with Female Figure (satimbe)

Details / Information for Face Mask with Female Figure (satimbe)

Face Mask with Female Figure (satimbe)

early to mid-1900s

Africa, West Africa, Mali, Dogon-style blacksmith-carver

Medium
Wood and organic materials
Measurements
Overall: 111.1 cm (43 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
James Albert and Mary Gardiner Ford Memorial Fund 1960.169
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This mask is one of several hundred that may perform at the ceremony called dama.

Description

Dogon masks are worn at the end-of-mourning ceremonies called dama. The masks incarnate ancestors, which can be human, animal, or vegetal. The female figure with raised arms topping this example represents the mythical character Yasigine, who played a key role in the very first sigi celebration. Held every 60 years, the sigi ceremony commemorates the arrival of death.
A matte, light-gray wood sculpture depicts a standing female figure atop a rectangular mask. They raise both arms straight up, palms facing each other, and have prominent breasts, a narrow waist, and a pointed chin. The mask below has two square eye openings and a vertical nose ridge. The sculpture's textured surface shows hints of dark-brown wood underneath the gray finish.

Face Mask with Female Figure (satimbe)

early to mid-1900s

Africa, West Africa, Mali, Dogon-style blacksmith-carver

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