Minneapolis Institute of Art

Mask

Mende artist

Date

first half of 20th century

Medium

Wood, mirrors, cowrie shell, cord

Culture

Mende

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

What better example than the most powerful queen in the world to inspire young women as they enter adulthood? That is what a Mende sculptor from Sierra Leone may have asked himself as he carved this mask for a female dancer of the all-women association called Sande. Members of the Sande association promote their interests, protect their well-being, and assist young women in their rite of passage. Sande masks are among the very rare mask genres in Africa to be worn and dances exclusively by women. And this particular example, with its European-style crown, represents Queen Victoria, who ruled over the British Empire (of which Sierra Leone was a part) for over six decades, until her death in 1901.

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