H x W x D:10.7 × 4.1 ×4 cm (4 3/16 × 1 5/8 × 1 9/16 in.)
Type:
Mask
Geography:
Liberia
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
This miniature Loma mask echos in form certain face masks from this region. Such miniature masks – referred to as ma go, but sometimes called “passport masks” – were carried or kept by men as “protective devices” and to signal that they had achieved a certain status in the community that was recognized and sanctioned by the elders (Reed, referencing Siegmann, in Grootaers and Bortholot 2014: 89). They may also be commissioned and carried for curative purposes. The crusty surface patina suggests that it received periodic offerings of oil, food, and libations.
Description:
Wood miniature face mask, long oval face with large forehead and chin.Overall reddish encrustation
Provenance:
William Siegmann, -- to 2011
Estate of William Siegmann, 2011 to 2016
Exhibition History:
Visions from the Forests: The Art of Liberia and Sierra Leone, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, April 9, 2014- August 17, 2014; Minneapolis Institute of Art, September 20, 2014-February 8, 2015; Indiana University Art Museum, March 7-May 10, 2015
Published References:
Ferme, Mariane C., et al. 2014. Visions from the Forests: The Art of Liberia and Sierra Leone, exhibition catalogue. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, no.28, p.162.
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