© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsAfrican Art

Ram Head Cap Crest Mask

Place CreatedCameroon, Africa

Date19th-late 20th Century

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions17 11/16 x 6 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. (44.9 x 16.5 x 35 cm)

Object number1994.004.272

Label TextCertain attributes of wild and domestic animals are associated with masked spirits; including bravery, the ability to see in the dark and physical strength. Animals commonly depicted in Grassfields mask include rams, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, and birds. It is common for Grassfields artists to use similar faces to represent horned animals, creating a distinction between the different species only through the realistic representation of their horns. This mask can be identified as a ram as opposed to a buffalo, because of the naturalistic representation pf horns turned down along the side of its face.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 3, September 26, 1998 - Spring 2003
Published ReferencesMarcilene K. Wittmer, Cameroon: An Exhibition of African Art from the Collection of William & Robert Arnett, The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina, January 16-March 20, 1977 (Atlanta: William S. Arnett, 1977), 30, number 44.

ProvenanceEx coll. William Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia, by 1977.

Status

Not on view

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