id:			144495
accession number:	1969.2
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.2
updated:		2022-06-22 09:01:02.031000

Buffalo Mask, early to mid-1900s. Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, possibly Bwa-style maker. Wood, plant fibers, paint, and iron; overall: 69.8 cm (27 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White 1969.2

title:				Buffalo Mask
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			early to mid-1900s
creation date earliest:		1900
creation date latest:		1970
current location:		108A Sub-Saharan
creditline:			Gift of Katherine C. White
copyright:			

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culture:	Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, possibly Bwa-style maker
technique:	Wood, plant fibers, paint, and iron
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Mask
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 69.8 cm (27 1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Year in Review: 1969
	opening date:   1970-01-27T05:00:00
	<i>Year in Review: 1969</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).

	title:		A Cleveland Bestiary
	opening date:   1981-10-14T04:00:00
	<i>A Cleveland Bestiary</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 14-December 16, 1981).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* CMA 1968: African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection, cat. no. 31, repr.<br>CMA 1970: "Year in Review 1969," CMA Bulletin LVII (Jan., 1970), p. 47, no. 128, repr. p. 41.<br>CMA 1981: A Cleveland Bestiary, October 14-December 9, 1981, cat. no. 11, repr. p, 17.

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PROVENANCE

	Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: ?–1969
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1969–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 


digital description: 
Among the Bwa people, masks with human, animal, and fantastic traits typically represent protective bush spirits. This mask’s horns and muzzle identify it as a bush buffalo. Masked dancers appear during the dry season for initiations, funerals of elders, market days, harvest celebrations, and annual renewal rituals to protect the well-being of the community.

wall description: 
Among the Bwa people, masks with human, animal, and fantastic traits typically represent protective bush spirits. This mask’s horns and muzzle identify it as a bush buffalo. Masked dancers appear during the dry season for initiations, funerals of elders, market days, harvest celebrations, and annual renewal rituals to protect the well-being of the community.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 411
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n431

	Kathman, Barbara A. <em>A Cleveland Bestiary</em>. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 16, p. 60; Reproduced: p. 17
	url:		

	Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.
	page number: 	Reproduced: cat. 5, p. 40 - 41
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1969.2/1969.2_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1969.2/1969.2_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1969.2/1969.2_full.tif