Kono Helmet Mask
Helmet Mask
Attribution follows a published museum catalogue or peer-reviewed scholarship. Object is held in a public collection under a published accession number.
Belonging to the Kono association, one of the Bamana people’s most powerful men’s groups, this mask’s shape seems to evoke the hyena, an animal reputed for its intelligence and its knowledge of the bush. The Kono’s main task is to offer its members protection against witchcraft. It is also responsible for fostering fertility, solving conflicts, disciplining troublemakers, and sentencing criminals. Masquerades are among the Kono’s most public expressions; the mask’s performance is characterized by energy and vigor.
Catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art as “Helmet Mask”, dated possibly early to mid-1900s. Harvested from the museum’s open-access record; every field below is copied from that record and none of it has been inferred.
Record
| People / culture | Bamana |
|---|---|
| Country | Mali |
| Common name | Helmet Mask |
| Materials | Wood and organic materials |
| Dimensions | Overall: 36 cm (14 3/16 in.) |
Provenance
Robert Jacobsen [1912-1993], Copenhagen, Denmark
Reginauld Groux, Paris
Urs Albrecht, Basel, Switzerland (ca. 1980s–2005)
Ernst Beyeler [1921-2010], Riehen/Basel, Switzerland (as selling agent for Albrecht) (2005)
Private collection, New York, NY (2005–2011)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2011–)
| Collection | Cleveland Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Accession number | 2011.196 |
Source
https://clevelandart.org/art/2011.196
This record is a catalogue entry, not an appraisal, valuation or legal determination. Nothing here should be read as evidence that an object was lawfully acquired or exported.