H x W x D: 51.4 x 34 x 29.5 cm (20 1/4 x 13 3/8 x 11 5/8 in.)
Type:
Mask
Geography:
Grassfields region, Cameroon
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
This crest mask, in the form of a human face, is of a type found among many Cameroon chiefdoms. It depicts an important person as shown by the stylized rendering of a knotted fiber prestige cap, which can only be worn by men of high rank. This crest mask exemplifies additional power with the inclusion of the spider motif. Ground spiders are used in divination practices in the Cameroon Grassfields region as a way of gaining access to divine knowledge.
Description:
Wood helmet mask of male head with pierced cap with spider motif, protruding ears, open oval eyes, open mouth with teeth, low relief eyebrows with deep vertical cuts and a pierced opening in the mouth. Traces of white still evident around and on the eyes.
Provenance:
Warren M. Robbins, Washington, D.C, -- to 1976
Exhibition History:
Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., April 22, 2013-February 23, 2014; Bowdoin College Museum of Art, October 15, 2015-March 9, 2016
Artful Animals, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., July 1, 2009-July 25, 2010
Life...Afterlife: African Funerary Sculpture, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 1981-March 1, 1982
Published References:
Milbourne, Karen E. 2013. Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa. New York: The Monacelli Press; Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 109, no. 85.
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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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/
