Hemba Mask
Mask (hemba)
Attribution: Museum-publishedProvenance: Museum accession
Attribution follows a published museum catalogue or peer-reviewed scholarship. Object is held in a public collection under a published accession number.
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.
Catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art as “Mask (hemba)”, dated late 1800s–early 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 | Suku |
|---|---|
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Common name | Mask (hemba) |
| Materials | Wood, reed, paint, and metal |
| Dimensions | Overall: 50 x 25 x 27.2 cm (19 11/16 x 9 13/16 x 10 11/16 in.) |
Provenance
C. Prévost [?-1994], before 1965-1968, sold to Marcel Dumoulin (?-1968)
Marcel Dumoulin, Brussels, Belgium, 1965-1968, sold to René and Odette Delenne (?-1968)
René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, Belgium, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1968-2010)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010 (2010)
| Collection | Cleveland Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Accession number | 2010.450 |
Source
Cleveland Museum of Art, Mask (hemba), accession 2010.450. https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.450
https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.450
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.