Helmet Mask
Senufo
1900–1950
- Medium
- Wood and sacrificial material
- Dimensions
- 28 × 15.3 × 47 cm (11 × 6 × 18 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- masks
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
zoomorphsenufosupernaturalanimalsfiberNorthern Africa and the Sahelmasksassemblage (sculpture technique)wood (plant material)combatafrican Artarts of AfricacarvingMalesacrificial material
About
Male animal-shaped Senufo helmet masks are contrasting complements to female face masks. These works together embody harmony between male and female roles. According to Anita Glaze, a leading scholar of Senufo arts, the central principle of “pairing for perfection” in such objects aims to promote unity, continuity, wholeness, and completion.
