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Oct 27, 2009

Helmet Mask

early to mid-1900s

Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo-style carver

Wood, upholstery studs, and colorant

Overall: 34.9 cm (13 3/4 in.)

Gift of Katherine C. White 1975.152

Location

108A Sub-Saharan

Description

This type of helmet was worn in rituals demonstrating a boy’s transition from one age group to the next, prior to his actual initiation into the secret Poro society. The pre-initiates were viewed as unknowing and anxious oxen, so the horns on such helmets may refer to those of horned cattle. The female figure alludes to women’s supernatural powers, which assure the welfare of Poro members.

Provenance

1963

J. J. Klejman, New York, NY ¹

?–1975

Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, by purchase from the above ²

1975–

The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift

Provenance Footnotes

¹Recorded on an undated info sheet (c. 1969) in curatorial file

²1966 – 1970 Lived in Gates Mills, OH (articles also mention Bratenahl, OH). Known as Katherine White Reswick, Katherine C. White (Reswick), Mrs. James B. Reswick

Citations

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Henry John Drewal. African Art: A Brief Guide to the Collection : the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Museum, 1989. Fig. 12

Fagg, William. African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968. No. 22

Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1975.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63, no. 2 (1976): 31–71. Reproduced: p. 64, no. 29; mentioned: p. 66, no. 29. www.jstor.org

Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: p. 44-45, color plate 7

Petridis, Constantine. “Buffalo Helmets of Tussian and Siemu Peoples of Burkina Faso.” African Arts 41, no. 3 (2008): 26–43. Reproduced: p. 35; mentioned: p. 38. www.jstor.org

Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 30

Gagliardi, Susan Elizabeth, and Constantijn Petridis. Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa. 2014. Reproduced: pp. 174-5, fig. 127.

Gagliardi, Susan Elizabeth, and Constantijn Petridis. Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. pp. 174-5, fig. 127

"Art on View: Art and Identity in West Africa." Tribal Art 19, no. 74 (Winter 2014): 70. Reproduced: p. 70

Gagliardi, Susan Elizabeth and Constantine Petridis. "Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa." African Arts 48, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 6-23. Reproduced: p. 15, fig. 11

Exhibition history

CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 22, repr.

CMA 1976: "Year in Review 1975," CMA Bulletin LXIII Feb., 1976), p. 66, no. 29, repr. p. 64

The Cleveland Museum of Art (2/22/15-5/31/15) Saint Louis Art Museum (6/28/15/-9/27/15) Musée Fabre, montpellier France (11/28/15-3/6/16) "Senufo: Art Identity in West Africa;

Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-May 31, 2015); Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO (June 28-September 27, 2015); Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France (November 28, 2015-March 6, 2016).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Helmet Mask|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.152|year=early to mid-1900s|access-date=29 May 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Helmet Mask

Helmet Mask

Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo-style carver

Location

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