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Mask (mbap mteng): Elephant (aka)
early 1900s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
The name given to masks like this, <em>mbap mteng</em>, means "animal with huge ears." In the Cameroon Grassfields kingdoms the elephant signifies power, authority, prestige, and leadership. The colorful glass beads that decorate the mask’s surface were imported from Venice and Bohemia (in Europe) and signal wealth and prosperity. Members of <em>Kuosi</em>, an exclusive male secret society, wore such elephant masks for ritual dances and funerary ceremonies.
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Details
- Title: Mask (mbap mteng): Elephant (aka)
- Date Created: early 1900s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 139.7 x 50.8 x 19.1 cm (55 x 20 x 7 1/2 in.)
- Provenance: Purchased from L. Kahan Gallery Inc., New York.
- Type: Mask
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1985.1082
- Medium: Cotton, burlap, glass beads, twine, leather, and wood
- Fun Fact: Performers wore elephant masks with indigo-dyed robes, red feather headdresses, and leopard pelts. Leopards and elephants symbolized royal power.
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Cameroon, Grassfields region, Bamileke-style maker
- Credit Line: The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 1985.1082
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