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Boy's Initiation Mask

Boy's Initiation Mask

Unknown

This mask was used to protect boys during puberty rites to deflect negative forces with its symbolic form and colors. The upturned nose, possibly inspired by an elephant’s trunk, suggests male virility; the color red evokes rebirth, blue honors the ancestors, and white recalls the spiritual realm.
Artist
Unknown (Congolese, Lula People)
Title
Boy's Initiation Mask
Date
late 20th century
Medium
Wood and pigment
Dimensions
19 1/8 x 9 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. Overall
Credit
Gift of Drs. Gladys, Jay, Jeffrey, Jamie, and James Strain
Accession No.
1999.131.7
Classification
Sculpture
Geography
Democratic Republic of Congo

Related

8 December 1999, gifted by Drs. Gladys, Jay, Jeffrey, Jamie, and James Strain (Riverdale, NY) to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Exhibition gallery guide, "Revealing Forms: African Art from the Elvehjem Collection." 2002.
  • Drewal, Henry John. "African Art at the Elvehjem." Bulletin/Biennial Report 2001-2003. Elvehjem Museum of Art (2003): 16-36. pp. 16-36

  • Revealing Forms: African Art from the Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 4/20/2002–6/16/2002

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