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Elephant Mask, Bamileke, early 1900s (cotton, leather, beads)

IMAGE number
CVL500030
Image title
Elephant Mask, Bamileke, early 1900s (cotton, leather, beads)
Artist
African, (20th century) / African
Location
Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA
Medium
cotton, leather, beads
Dimensions
h:139.70 w:50.80 d:19.05 cms
Image description

The name given to masks like this, mbap mteng, means "animal with huge ears." In the Cameroon grassfields the elephant signifies power, authority, prestige, and leadership. The colorful glass beads that decorate the mask’s surface were imported from Venice and Bohemia and signal wealth and prosperity. Such elephant masks were worn by members of an exclusive male secret society in ritual dances and funerary ceremonies.

Photo credit
Photo © Cleveland Museum of Art / The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund / Bridgeman Images
Image keywords
20th century / Africa / mask / object / african / cameroon / tribal / mixed media / equatorial africa / headdress / bamileke
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Undetermined copyright
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Permission required for non-editorial use (inc book and magazine covers). Please contact us
Largest available format 3776 × 6668 px 10 MB
Dimension [pixels] Dimension in 300dpi [mm] File size [MB]
Large 3776 × 6668 px 320 × 565 mm 10.2 MB
Medium 580 × 1024 px 49 × 87 mm 635 KB

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