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Kumu

Diviner’s Mask (Nsembu)

Kumu, 1900-1932

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Kumu

Diviner’s Mask (Nsembu)

Kumu, 1900-1932

Physical Qualities Wood, pigment, 11 5/8 × 7 11/16 × 3 3/8 in. (29.5 × 19.5 × 8.5 cm.)
Credit Line Anonymous Gift
Object Number 1995.158
The wide, bulging eyes of these masks refer to supernatural authority and the ability of those associated with the spiritworld to see things that humans cannot. In the context of the fast-moving masquerades in which each mask was danced, these disproportionate facial features helped communicate the metaphors embedded in each work.
Ex coll: Lenny Kahan, New York
Meditations on African Art: Color

Subverting Beauty: African Anti-Aesthetics

Inscribed: Orange sticker, '787'

Culture

Kumu

2000–2000

Meet Kumu →

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