The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Helmet

late 1800s–early 1900s

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Yorùbá-style maker

Wood and paint
Overall: 62.9 cm (24 3/4 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1969.5
Location: Not on view

Description

This type of helmet used by the Oro association, is often mistaken for the more common Egungun. While Egungun masquerades are performed to honor an individual's ancestors, Oro masquerades are performed in conjunction with the actual funeral of a Yoruba person. The Oro association is very secretive, and the visibility of helmets like this one is generally restricted. Oro is also responsible for carrying out criminal sentences, such as collecting fines, repossessing goods, and executing those convicted of a capital crime. The female figure suspended from the back of the horns may reference the victims of Oro executions. This work has been attributed to the Esubiyi School of Abeokuta, founded about 1860.
  • at least 1935
    Mrs. Cornelius Sullivan (Mary)
    ?-1962
    Everett Rassiga, New York (1921/22–2003)
    1962–69
    Katherine White Reswick
    1969–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 See photograph 2004.29.11587 in the collection of the Peabody Museum. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/660890
  • Fagg, William, and Cleveland Museum of Art. 1968. African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, no. 113.
    CMA 1970: "Year in Review 1969," CMA Bulletin LVII (Jan., 1970), p. 47, no. 135.
  • Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 113, repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Helmet|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s–early 1900s|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.5