Helmet Mask
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Wood, paint, organic material, and iron alloy
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.33,"width":0.635,"depth":0.419}}
Classification
Mask
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William D. Wixom in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph M. Coe
Accession Number
1971.66
About this artwork
Deliberately distorted and exaggerated facial features reflect the awesome powers of a great chief. The quadrupeds on the mask’s head suggest the close association between the leopard and the king. In the Cameroon grasslands, masks are typically related to a regulatory society that guards ancestral mores; society members wear the masks and dance in the secrecy of the night.