Images

https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=5B96C2B81BE95C18950B801921063B2A8C7646BE850E1E11598F81196CCD4647&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=1&f=%5Cd3493%5Cu119134934%5C1969.3_o2.jpg

https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=5BFCB78EEEF988B8CD7C441DBAB381DE7317B5CA5B1090A4898473BCA410C2B8&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=9&f=1969.3_o2.jpg

https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=B92308788B5EA3E41D372EC25FF28C782ADFB1DB54745851F59518F19FDE3A73&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=1&f=%5C1969.3det01_o2.jpg

https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=97DD7D77B208CD6A51956B8FB9769AADEC775BC732E9096E7CCDC65ACB7003F0&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=1&f=%5C1969.3det2_o2.jpg

Additional Views

Nov 3, 2009

Helmet Mask (tönköngba or tabakän)

early 1900s

Africa, West Africa, Guinea, possibly Landuma-style carver

Wood and natural fibers

Overall: 76.2 cm (30 in.)

Gift of Katherine C. White 1969.3

Location

108A Sub-Saharan

Description

It seems that this type of object--once used among various peoples in the region--could have served both as a shrine and as a dance headdress. It would only have been part of a dance when a sacrifice to the ancestors was needed, at a funeral, or during a male initiation. Despite obvious animal references, the type represents an invented composite being that some described as a creature of the sea.

Provenance

Katherine White Reswick

Citations

Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: cat. 5, p. 40 - 41

Robbins, Warren M. African Art in American Collections = L'art Africain Dans Les Collections Americaines. New York: F.A. Praeger, 1966. Reproduced: p. 71, no. 50

Robbins, Warren M. African sculpture. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2005. Reproduced: p. 71, no. 50

Curtis, Marie Yvonne. Baga. Milan, Italy : 5 Continents Editions, 2018. Reproduced: p. 91, pl. 25; mentioned: pp. 46, 125

Exhibition history

CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 45, repr.

CMA 1970: "Year in Review 1969," CMA Bulletin LVII Jan., 1970), p. 47, no. 127, repr. p. 38.

Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Helmet Mask (tönköngba or tabakän)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.3|year=early 1900s|access-date=02 December 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.

You are here:

Images

Helmet Mask (tönköngba or tabakän)

Helmet Mask (tönköngba or tabakän)

Africa, West Africa, Guinea, possibly Landuma-style carver

Location

Download and Share

Description

Contact us