Pair of Headdresses (Tyi Wara Kunw)

Description

These headdresses were all worn by men in male-female pairs during performances celebrating the mythical farming beast named Chiwara, which introduced the Bamana people to agriculture. The rituals motivated young men to work hard. Each headdress combines the graceful horns of an antelope with the body of an aardvark. A young male calf sits upon the female’s back, symbolizing the fertile union of men and women and of the earth and the sun.

Provenance

Unknown dealer, Paris [personal communication from Hélène (ex-Kamer) Leloup, Oct. 1982, documented in curatorial file]; sold to Henri Kamer (died 1992) and Hélène (ex-Kamer) Leloup, Henri A. Kamer Gallery [Kamer Inc.], Paris, France, by 1965; sold to the Art Institute, 1965.

Pair of Headdresses (Tyi Wara Kunw)

Bamana

Mid–19th to early 20th century

Accession Number

189595

Medium

Wood, metal, brass tacks, and grasses

Dimensions

Left: 98.4 × 40.9 × 10.8 cm (38 3/4 × 16 1/8 × 4 1/4 in.); Right: 79.4 × 31.8 × 7.6 cm (31 1/4 × 12 1/2 × 3 in.)

Classification

headdress - misc

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment