The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Mask (mbap mteng): Elephant (aka)
early 1900s
Overall: 139.7 x 50.8 x 19.1 cm (55 x 20 x 7 1/2 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Performers wore elephant masks with indigo-dyed robes, red feather headdresses, and leopard pelts. Leopards and elephants symbolized royal power.Description
The name given to masks like this, mbap mteng, means "animal with huge ears." In the Cameroon Grassfields kingdoms the elephant signifies power, authority, prestige, and leadership. The colorful glass beads that decorate the mask’s surface were imported from Venice and Bohemia (in Europe) and signal wealth and prosperity. Members of Kuosi, an exclusive male secret society, wore such elephant masks for ritual dances and funerary ceremonies.- ?–1985L. Kahan Gallery Inc., New York.1985–The Cleveland Museum of Art by purchase
- Dr. Kristen Laciste, "Elephant Mask (Bamileke Peoples)," in Smarthistory, June 7, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/elephant-mask-kuosi-society-bamileke-peoples-cameroon/. smarthistory.org
- African art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 20, 2011–October 28, 2013),Object in Focus: Elephant Mask (Bamileke People-Cameroon). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1998-January 31, 1999).
- {{cite web|title=Mask (mbap mteng): Elephant (aka)|url=false|author=|year=early 1900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.1082