Portrait Face Mask (Mblo) with Crest
Portrait Face Mask (Mblo) with Crest
Maker
unknown Baulé
(Ivory Coast, Africa)
Date19th century
MediumWood and pigment
Dimensions14 x 6 1/4 x 4 1/8 in. (35.6 x 15.9 x 10.5 cm)
ClassificationsTribal Art
Credit LineAlfred Stieglitz Collection, Co-owned by Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas
Accession number
ASC.2012.2
Descriptionmedian crest painted red and blackOn View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextThis portrait mask depicts a revered woman from Baulé society. Community members wore the wood mask during performances consisting of singing, dancing, and skits. Today, many appreciate these masks in museums for their visual appearance, but members of Baulé society valued them for capturing the matriarch’s presence within these ceremonies.
Esta máscara de retrato representa a una mujer respetada de la sociedad Baulé. Los miembros de la comunidad llevaban la máscara de madera durante representaciones que consistían en cantos, bailes y parodias. Hoy en día, muchos admiran estas máscaras en los museos por su aspecto visual, pero los miembros de la sociedad Baulé las valoraban por reflejar la presencia de la matriarca en dichas ceremonias.
