Minneapolis Institute of Art

Mask

Yombe artist

Date

late 19th century

Medium

Wood, pigment, kaolin

Culture

Yombe

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The filed upper teeth and black headdress indicate that we’re looking at a high-ranking woman of Yombe society. Because this highly realistic mask shows her as an ancestor, her face is painted white, the color of the supernatural. When worn by a male dancer during ritual ceremonies, the spirit of the deceased woman would appear from the otherworld to bring fertility, appeasement, and wellbeing to the living. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

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