The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

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 African

Did You Know?

Cowrie shells, feathers, and other accessories once decorated this helmet.

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.
  • 1963
    J. J. Klejman, New York, NY
    ?–1975
    Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, by purchase from the above
    1975–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Recorded on an undated info sheet (c. 1969) in curatorial file
    2 1966 – 1970                        Lived in Gates Mills, OH (articles also mention Bratenahl, OH). Known as Katherine White Reswick, Katherine C. White (Reswick), Mrs. James B. Reswick
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. 1975 Year in Review. Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63, no. 3, cat. 29.
    Fagg, William. African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968, no. 22. 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
  • 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).
    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;
    Year in Review: 1975. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 3-March 7, 1976).
    CMA 1976: "Year in Review 1975," CMA Bulletin LXIII Feb., 1976), p. 66, no. 29, repr. p. 64
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 22, repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Helmet Mask|url=false|author=|year=early to mid-1900s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1975.152