Tehe gla Face Mask
Face Mask (Tehe gla)
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.
Tubular eyes and the fringe of carved leopard canine teeth identify this mask as male. Such masks appeared only during very important moments. The dancer wore a leopard skin over his head and shoulders, held an elephant’s tusk in his hand, and had his face painted white. The masks function as peacemakers; they led soldiers into battle, and administered justice.
Catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art as “Face Mask (Tehe gla)”, dated 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 | Wè |
|---|---|
| Country | Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia |
| Common name | Face Mask (Tehe gla) |
| Form category | Face mask |
| Materials | Wood, boar tusks, pelt, cloth, human hair, probably aluminum, reeds, iron alloy, copper alloy, plant fiber, and paint |
| Dimensions | Overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.) |
Provenance
Harry Franklin, Los Angeles
Katherine White Reswick (?–1971)
The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift (1971–)
| Collection | Cleveland Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Accession number | 1971.294 |
Source
Cleveland Museum of Art, Face Mask (Tehe gla), accession 1971.294. https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.294
https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.294
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.