Mask

Yombe artist

late 19th century

Wood, pigment, kaolin

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A wooden mask with a dark brown, rounded top and a lighter brown face. The mask features carved eyes, a nose, and an open mouth with visible teeth. The filed upper teeth and black headdress indicate that we’re looking at a high-ranking woman of Yombe society. Because this highly realistic mask shows her as an ancestor, her face is painted white, the color of the supernatural. When worn by a male dancer during ritual ceremonies, the spirit of the deceased woman would appear from the otherworld to bring fertility, appeasement, and wellbeing to the living. Gallery G250 The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund, The William Hood Dunwoody Fund, and gift of funds from Bob Ulrich and The Regis Foundation