Minneapolis Institute of Art

Do Society Mask

Ligbi artist; or Nafana artist

Date

early 20th century

Medium

Wood, pigment

Culture

Ligbi or Nafana

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Triple-faced masks of this type are extremely rare. This example was made to be used in the Do masquerade. The three faces might relate to a ceremonial ability to see into the past, present and future. The male and female figures at the top probably represent an ancestral couple, but the meaning of the animal head below the chin remains unclear. Ligbi or Nafana, Côte d'Ivoire, Africa

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