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Mask

Large masks like these can be found in the southern Cameroon grasslands. They are sometimes regarded as the "mothers" of a masked group, appearing gracefully on the sidelines of a masked ensemble performance. According to other reports, they were not part of a fancy dress, but were carried in front of the king on important occasions. The power and dignity of these masks is expressed in their monumentality. The openwork carved lizards of the headpiece visually balance out the enormous, inflated cheeks. The soft, large forms of the headpiece, forehead and cheeks contrast with the burr-like, sharp forms of the nose and open mouth / P.J.

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Bamileke (Bamiléké)
Object type
Mask
Dimensions
Weight: 16,6 kg
Height: 94 cm
Width: 66 cm
Depth: 58 cm
Material/Technique
Wood
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 20349

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    19th century
    where
    Cameroon
    Bangang (west of Batsham)
    who
    Bamileke (Bamiléké)
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    Donation from Captain Glauning 1906
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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