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Female Bush Spirit Mask

Female Bush Spirit Mask

Currently unknown artist or artists (Wè style)

Wè masks like this one do not have fixed, static functions. Instead, their full performance context, including dance, music, costume, and setting, defines their meaning. Without knowledge of these elements, we cannot precisely determine the role of this mask, which may have been used in a masquerade. The artist adorned it with human hair, imported brass bells, and artillery shell casings—materials possibly regarded as sources of power and capable of intensifying the mask’s force.
Artist/Maker
Currently unknown artist or artists (Wè style)
Title
Female Bush Spirit Mask
Date
20th century
Material & Process
Wood, kaolin, pigment, brass tacks, cloth, hair, bells, and artillery shell casings
Dimensions
16 7/8 x 12 x 6 in. overall
Credit
Gift of Willy Haeberli in memory of his wife, Gabriele Haberland
Inventory No.
2022.24.7
Classification
Sculpture
Location
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)

Related

<span>By April 1976, with Pace Primitive and Ancient Art (New York, NY); Unknown date, sold by Pace Primitive and Ancient Art (New York, NY) to Lucille and Arnold Alderman; Collection Lucille and Arnold Alderman; 18 May 2002, sold from the Alderman Collection at Sotheby’s (New York, NY) auction "Arts of Africa, Oceania &amp; the Americas" [sale 7795, lot 24]; 18 May 2002, purchased from Sotheby’s (New York) auction by Gabriele Haberland and Willy Haeberli; 2021, bequeathed by Willy Haeberli to the Chazen Museum of Art</span>

  • Pace Primitive and Ancient Art. "African Spirit Images and Identities," April 24-May 29, 1976. pp. 15, 53, Fig. 78

  • African Spirit Images and Identities: Pace Primitive and Ancient Art, 4/24/1976–5/29/1976

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Information about artworks presented here may not reflect the most current research. Chazen staff update records as new details emerge; please verify independently for scholarly use and notify us of any errors.