Crest Masks
Yoruba
1867–1925
- Medium
- Wood, pigment, and string
- Dimensions
- 26.4 × 21 × 42.2 cm (10 3/8 × 8 1/4 × 16 5/8 in.)
- Genre
- masks
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
yorubastring (fiber product)painting (coating)ramelephantsanimalsantelopewatermasksheaddress - miscassemblage (sculpture technique)birdswood (plant material)ijebuafrican Artarts of AfricaCoastal West Africacarvingspiritspigment
About
Representing water spirits, these inventive crest masks combine various animal parts, including the horns of antelope and rams, and the tusks and trunks of elephants. Along with the water birds pegged on the front and back of each crest—one of which is missing—these animals refer to land and water, the human world and the supernatural underwater realm—both domains where water spirits exercise their power.
