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Mask (Kplekple)

Mask (Kplekple)

Unknown

During Goli dances, four pairs of masqueraders appear in ascending order of status and prestige. Dancers in disk-faced masks come first, followed by animal helmet masks, horned masks with human faces, and finally human faces with crested coiffures. The first two pairs are considered male and the second two female, suggesting gender parity and the respected position of women in Baulé society.
Artist
Unknown (Ivorian, Baulé People)
Title
Mask (Kplekple)
Date
1950s
Medium
Wood, paint, and stain
Dimensions
14 1/2 x 10 x 3 3/4 in. Overall
Credit
Gift of Lester Wunderman
Accession No.
62.3.8
Classification
Sculpture
Geography
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)

Related

Acquired by Lester Wunderman (New York, NY) between January 1957 [1] and May 1962 (when he made contact with UW–Madison staff about the collection) from an as-yet unknown European source; July 1962, given by Lester Wunderman to the University of Wisconsin–Madison; 1967, transferred to UW–Madison''s Elvehjem Art Center (now called the Chazen Museum of Art). [Last researched by Chazen staff 4/28/2023] [1] when he first began collecting African art, according to the preface of the Metropolitan Museum of Art''s catalogue "Art of the Dogon: Selections from the Lester Wunderman Collection"

  • Negro Heritage: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 11/1/1968–6/11/1969

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