© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsAfrican Art

Face Mask with Fiber Head Cloth

Place CreatedDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

CultureLele

Datelate 19th-early 20th Century

MediumWood, paint, animal hide, fiber

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions14 9/16 x 8 11/16 x 4 5/16 in. (37 x 22 x 11 cm)

Object number1994.004.100

Label TextThis face mask may have been used in funeral ceremonies for chiefs. Much of Lele art is similar to that of the Kuba peoples, eastern neighbors who share a common language. Like most Kuba masks (such as 1994.004.093), this Lele mask is attached at the crown with a raffia head cover embroidered in the cut-pile technique commonly called "Kasai Velvet" (see for example 1994.004.514,515,518,525). Flat, broad faces however, distinguish Lele masks.
Exhibition HistoryThe Art of Collecting: Recent Acquisitions at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Michael C. Carlos Museum, November 8, 1997 - January 4, 1998
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 3, September 26, 1998 - Spring 2003

ProvenanceEx coll. William Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia.

Status

Not on view

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