Description
Deliberately distorted and exaggerated facial features reflect the awesome powers of a great chief. The quadrupeds on the mask’s head suggest the close association between the leopard and the king. In the Cameroon grasslands, masks are typically related to a regulatory society that guards ancestral mores; society members wear the masks and dance in the secrecy of the night.
Provenance
(Georges D. Rodrigues); Mr. and Mrs. William D. Wixom; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1971-)
Accession Number
1971.66
Medium
Wood, paint, organic material, and iron alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 33 x 63.5 x 41.9 cm (13 x 25 x 16 1/2 in.)
Classification
Mask
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William D. Wixom in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph M. Coe
