Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ mask

Yoruba mothers are not to be messed with.

Women of a certain age in Yoruba communities, often market traders and people of considerable authority and referred to as àwọn ìyà wa (our mothers), were historically considered to have great capacity—for good, or otherwise. Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ developed as a masquerade to honor and soothe these powerful women. Performed by men, Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ always depicts women, often with elaborate superstructures placed above conventionally stylized faces.
This mask is one of four identified as being by the same individual, an unidentified artist from the Anago region of Benin. The distinctive arrangement and size of its features are consistent with characteristics of this master, as are the flat-topped, rectangular ear, the profile of the eyelids, and the precise, triangular chip carving.