Description
When it was performed, this antelope mask head was vertically attached to a tent-shaped construction made from twigs and colored fabric, which hid a male dancer underneath. Kagba appeared primarily at funerals and initiations organized by the all-male Poro association. The last sculptures of this type were apparently created in the early 1960s, when local iconoclastic movements and the unrest triggered by Côte d’Ivoire’s struggle for independence led to the cessation of these practices.
Provenance
Anita J. Glaze, from 1964 or 1965, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire, and later Illinois [documentation provided by the donor, copy in curatorial records]; given to the Art Institute, 2019.
Accession Number
249234
Medium
Wood and pigment
Dimensions
68.6 × 17.2 × 19.1 cm (27 × 6 3/4 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
african art
Credit Line
Gift of Anita Glaze