Gitenga Initiation Mask
20th–mid 20th century
(not assigned)Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medium/TechniqueRattan, vegetable fiber, turaco feathers, pigment
DimensionsOverall: 55.9 x 55.9 x 35.6 cm (22 x 22 x 14 in.)
Credit LineGift of Deborah Glasser in honor of Kathryn Gunsch
Accession number2021.782
On View
On viewClassificationsMasks
Collections
Provenance1970s, acquired in Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) by Gene Isaacson (b. 1936 – d. 2005), Lake Forest, CA; 2005, sold by the estate of Gene Isaacson to Dimondstein Tribal Arts, Los Angeles; about 2005, sold by Dimondstein to Bruce Moore, California; about 2012, sold by Moore to Ethan Rider (dealer), San Francisco; 2012, sold by Rider to Deborah Glasser, Boston; 2021, gift of Deborah Glasser to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 15, 2021)
mid to late 20th century
Artist Unidentified
late 19th century
19th–20th century
late 19th century