Deliberately distorted and exaggerated facial features reflect the awesome powers of a great chief. The quadrupeds on the mask’s head suggest the close association between the leopard and the king. In the Cameroon grasslands, masks are typically related to a regulatory society that guards ancestral mores; society members wear the masks and dance in the secrecy of the night.

<i>Year in Review: 1971</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972).

Year in Review: 1971

<i>Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture

CMA 1972:  "Year in Review 1971," Bulletin LIX (January 1972), p. 41, no. 21, repr. p. 38.

CMA 1975:  Traditions and Revisions:  Themes from the History of Sculpture, Sept. 24 - Nov. 16, 1975, cat. 95

A dark wood mask features an elongated face topped with five thick, downward-curving forms. Large tan ovals frame horizontal slit eyes above a long nose flaring with red nostrils. The wide mouth reveals rows of light-colored, peg-like teeth. Small rectangular ears project from the sides. The dark, weathered surface is marked by a vertical split at the center of the bottom jaw.

(Georges D. Rodrigues); Mr. and Mrs. William D. Wixom

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Helmet Mask

Africa, Central Africa, Cameroon, possibly Kom-style maker

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Helmet Mask

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Helmet Mask

Africa, Central Africa, Cameroon, possibly Kom-style maker

Description

Helmet Mask

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us