Loading
Mask (Bwoom)
mid- to late 1800s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Among the Bushoong, the central Kuba group, the mask known as <em>bwoom</em>—most typically identified as the head of a hunter-gatherer—forms a triad with a female mask and another male mask. All three are protagonists in the reenactment of the foundation of the Kuba kingdom. Outside the capital, however, bwoom appears in different non-royal contexts, such as the men’s initiation society.
Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
Details
- Title: Mask (Bwoom)
- Date Created: mid- to late 1800s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 43.3 x 31.2 x 28.3 cm (17 1/16 x 12 5/16 x 11 1/8 in.)
- Provenance: (Charles Ratton Gallery, Paris, France, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Mask
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.304
- Medium: Wood and paint
- Fun Fact: Imagine this mask topped with eagle feathers; they would have been added only on special occasions when it was performed.
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuba-style carver
- Credit Line: James Albert Ford Memorial Fund
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 1935.304
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.