20th Century Carved Wooden Mende Helmet Mask

Item Details

Unknown
Untitled
Carved wooden mask
Unsigned

A 20th century carved wooden Mende helmet mask from Sierra Leone. At the end of a young girl’s moral education training period, she would wear this mask with a long cotton costume and a raffia ruff in celebration. The Mende mask features the feminine ideals of beauty, which include an elaborately coiffed hairstyle, slanted eyes, and many defined neck folds. Similar Mende masks can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Condition

- dust and debris to the surface and interior; thin repaired crack to the left side.

Dimensions

Item #

18DCC450-016