Helmet mask
late 19th to early 20th century
Object PlaceSierra Leone
Medium/TechniqueWood with black pigment and metal
Dimensions36.19 x 20.8 (width) x 27.3 (depth) cm (14 1/4 x 8 3/16 x 10 3/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of William E. and Bertha L. Teel
Accession number1992.401
On View
On viewClassificationsMasks
Collections
Commissioned and worn by women, although carved by men, this mask was associated with the education and socialization of young Mende and Vai females, as supervised within the Sande society. Senior women wore these masks at the termination of initiation ceremonies in order to embody their patron spirit persona of fecundity and grace, known as Sowei. The high forehead, compressed triangular face, and voluminous neck rolls, the latter of which signifies both wealth and beauty, are characteristic. Carved from light bombax wood, the mask is blackened and oiled to approximate supple skin.
ProvenanceJean Fagalde, Liberia; sold by Fagalde to Michael Oliver, Inc., New York [see note 1]; sold by Michael Oliver to Bryce P. Holcombe (d. 1983), New York [see note 2]; probably acquired directly from Holcombe by Pace Primitive and Ancient Art, New York (stock no. 51-11883); April 5, 1989, sold by Pace Primitive to William and Bertha Teel, Marblehead, MA; 1992, partial gift of William and Bertha Teel to the MFA; 2014, acquired fully with the bequest of William Teel to the MFA. (Accession Dates: June 30, 1992 and February 26, 2014)
NOTES:
[1] Yale Van Rijn Archive of African Art, no. 0014565.
[2] Director of Pace Primitive, New York, until his death. This mask was part of his private collection.
NOTES:
[1] Yale Van Rijn Archive of African Art, no. 0014565.
[2] Director of Pace Primitive, New York, until his death. This mask was part of his private collection.
Artist Unidentified
