H x W x D: 31.7 x 28.2 x 43.8 cm (12 1/2 x 11 1/8 x 17 1/4 in.)
Type:
Mask
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
Gelede is a masquerade to honor and placate the "mothers," incarnate forces of thwarted fertility and spiritual power who are less diplomatically referred to as witches. Although men, appearing in pairs, dance these masks, many gelede masks depict women. Some are satiric or genre characters. Others have elaborate superstructures with figures of devotees, animals, exaggerated head ties (a woman's head covering) or even palm trees. This mask depicts an Islamic man, a Hausa from northern Nigeria; his beard and turban identify him. However, the superstructure depicts traditional devotees in the form of kneeling nude women. They hold pythons, suggesting an association with river gods or wealth. The bird in the center commonly represents a spiritual messenger.
Gelede masks are worn like caps and tilted at a 45-degree angle on the forehead. The sculptor takes this angle into account when carving the mask. Typically gelede masks are polychromed.
Description:
Wood cap mask depicting a man with a beard and turban. The superstructure depicts two kneeling nude women holding pythons flanking a central bird. Overall red pigment with accents of blue and white.
Provenance:
Dr. and Mrs. Albert E. Henn, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, -- to 1971
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