id: 168746 accession number: 2010.450 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.450 updated: 2022-01-04 17:50:46.295000 Mask (hemba), late 1800s-early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Suku carver. 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: Mask (hemba) 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: --- culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Suku carver technique: Wood, reed, paint, and metal department: African Art collection: African Art type: Mask find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- 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: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture opening date: 2013-10-27T00:00:00 Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium (March 25 – June 5, 1988) --- PROVENANCE C. Prévost [?-1994], before 1965-1968, sold to Marcel Dumoulin date: ?-1968 footnotes: citations: Marcel Dumoulin, Brussels, Belgium, 1965-1968, sold to René and Odette Delenne date: ?-1968 footnotes: citations: René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, Belgium, 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: --- 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. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. 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, 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 Tribal Art XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 121. page number: Reproduced: p. 121, fig. 7 url: Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. 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: --- 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