Cleveland Museum of Art

Head of a Hobbyhorse (korèdugaso)

Date

late 1800s–early 1900s

Medium

Wood and iron

Culture

Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana blacksmith

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Pertaining to the male initiation society called Korè, this sculpture from the Koulikoro region represents the head of an aardvark and is part of a wooden hobbyhorse that is mounted by a ritual buffoon. The Korè initiates are divided into different classes, each having a designated mask. The ritual buffoons appear in pantomimes on different public occasions and poke fun at village authorities and other high-ranking individuals. This is one of the best-known examples of a korèdugaso . It was featured on the catalogue cover for a 1935 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, one of the first on African arts in the US. It traveled to the CMA that same year.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.