id:			146775
accession number:	1972.2
share license status:	Copyrighted
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1972.2
updated:		2023-03-20 20:44:44.277000

Mask (Kifwebe), c. 1930s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Songye-style maker. Wood and paint; overall: 71.2 cm (28 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1972.2

title:				Mask (Kifwebe)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1930s
creation date earliest:		1930
creation date latest:		1939
current location:		
creditline:			Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Songye-style maker
technique:	Wood and paint
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Mask
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 71.2 cm (28 1/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Year in Review: 1972
	opening date:   1973-02-27T05:00:00
	<i>Year in Review: 1972</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).

	title:		Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture
	opening date:   1975-09-24T04:00:00
	<i>Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Georges Vidal, Cannes
	date: 1960    
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	Georges Vidal, Cannes (1960)
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:
The three-colored stripes on this <em>kifwebe </em>mask visually link it to powerful and dangerous animals including zebras, snakes, lions, and porcupines; not all of these animals are local to where the Songye peoples live.

digital description:


wall description:
The closely spaced, painted grooves on this <em>kifwebe</em> mask accentuate the contours of the mask itself. The colors are mixed with sacred substances that activate the mask and help induce the wearer to enter a state of being between human and spirit. The theme of transformation may be inherent in the form of the mask itself, which recalls, in an abstracted way, some of the distinctive traits of the chameleon—a supreme symbol of transformative power.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES