id:			168746
accession number:	2010.450
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.450
updated:		2020-04-09 09:01:14.834000

Helmet Mask, late 1800s-early 1900s. Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Suku people. Wood, reed, paint, and metal; overall: 50 x 25 x 27.2 cm (19 11/16 x 9 13/16 x 10 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.450

title:				Helmet Mask
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			late 1800s-early 1900s
creation date earliest:		1880
creation date latest:		1920
current location:		
creditline:			René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Suku people
technique:	Wood, reed, paint, and metal
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Mask
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 50 x 25 x 27.2 cm (19 11/16 x 9 13/16 x 10 11/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture
	opening date:   2013-10-27T00:00:00
	<i>Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium (March 25 – June 5, 1988)

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PROVENANCE

	C. Prévost [?-1994], before 1965-1968, sold to Marcel Dumoulin
	date: ?-1968
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	(Marcel Dumoulin, Brussels, BE, 1965-1968, sold to René and Odette Delenne)
	date: ?-1968
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: 1968-2010
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010
	date: 2010
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
Suku helmet masks are often used in initiation ceremonies for young men in the society.

digital description: 
Suku helmet masks are often used in initiation ceremonies for young men in the society. Helmet masks such as this represent images of deceased elders in the society. They are to ensure successful hunting, help cure illnesses, and protect its wearer from evil. The animal shaped like a gazelle or antelope is typically associated with folktales, proverbs, and personal hunting exploits.

wall description: 
Suku helmet masks are often used in initiation ceremonies for young men in the society. The masks intend to protect the reproductive abilities of newly initiated males. Helmet masks such as this represent images of deceased elders in the society. They are believed to ensure successful hunting, help cure illnesses, and protect its wearer from evil. The handle was originally hidden by a fringe of raffia fibers. The gazelle or antelope shape is typically associated with folktales, proverbs, and personal hunting exploits.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. <em>Utotombo. L'Art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 25 mars-5 juin 1988</em>, 99. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, March 25-June 5, 1988.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 99, cat. XXXI
	url:		

	Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In <em>Tribal Art</em> XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 121.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 121, fig. 7
	url:		

	Petridis, Constantine, et al. <em>Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 19, 24, 29, 44, 120.
	page number: 	Reproduced: pp. 63, 120; mentioned: p. 113-114, cat. 23
	url:		

	"In Case You Missed It: Fragments of the Invisible." The International Review of African American Art 25, no. 1 (2014): 10-11.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 10.
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.450/2010.450_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.450/2010.450_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2010.450/2010.450_full.tif