Wood, blue duiker skin, plant fiber, fur, metal, dye
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 27 x 12 x 28 cm (10 5/8 x 4 3/4 x 11 in.)
Type:
Mask
Geography:
Cross River-middle region, Nigeria
Date:
19th-20th century
Label Text:
In Nigeria's Cross River region, men's associations controlled the production and use of skin-covered masks. They performed for initiation rites and the funerary celebrations commemorating association members. The grimacing, skull-like features of this mask are particularly fierce and aggressive, and the attachment of animal fur for hair is unusual. It clearly communicates the power that was associated with men's societies in this region.
In the well-known Walt Disney-Tishman Collection, this crest mask is what art historian Roy Sieber might have deemed "tough in concept, subject and form...fierce." Its dramatic, powerful composition--achieved through exaggerated features and the use of materials derived from the wild, including animal skin and fur--are clearly meant to signal power. Because they also challenge Western aesthetic sensibilities, they are the types of objects less visible in Western collections. When considered within their aesthetic and performance contexts, such works of art can then be understood, by both indigenous and foreign audiences, as complex expressions of knowledge, status, and authority.
Description:
Wood, skin, hair and basketry human face headdress. Very dark with head sligihtly tileted upwards with prominent pointed chin and open mouth. Hair is real hair. Smooth burnished surface. Mouth is red with exposed teeth. and eyes and eyelids bulging. Small knobs on forehead. Basketry is a small circle.
Provenance:
Paul and Ruth Tishman, New York, ca, 1975 to 1983
Exhibition History:
For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1981
Published References:
Christie's London, 16 July 1975, Auction catalogue. Lot 93, plate 7 ( under "various properties", lot withdrawn
Owczarek, Nina. 2014. Skin-covered Masks from the Cross River Region of Nigeria and Cameroon at the National Museum of African Art: A Technical Study. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. 53 (3): 185.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen, Bryna Freyer and Andrea Nicolls. 2007. African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 114, fig. 43.
Vogel, Susan (ed). 1981. For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, pp. 175-176, no. 104.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
