Headcrest Mask

Place CreatedCameroon, Africa

CultureEtung (?)

Date20th Century

MediumWood, animal skin, fabric, pigment

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions9 11/16 x 7 7/16 x 11 1/4 in. (24.6 x 18.9 x 28.6 cm)

Object number1994.004.265

Label TextThis mask is composed of a wooden base, covered with stretched antelope skin, and a protruding wooden tongue. Exhibiting a realistic rendering of the human form, this mask exemplifies what is believed to be the origin of the skin mask tradition - the use of the actual head of a defeated enemy mounted as a head crest on a mask. This practice, which was common in the Cross River region, gradually ended when warfare was banned by the colonial government. As a reaction to the ban, artists created substitutes, like this one, covered in stretched animal skin.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM 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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