Elephant Mask (mbap mteng) / Artist Unknown, African, Bamileke Peoples, Cameroon

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1997/1.319
Title
Elephant Mask (mbap mteng)
Artist Nationality
Cameroonian
Medium and Support
cloth, glass beads, fiber
Object Creation Date
1950-1999
Object Creation Place
Africa (continent)
Cameroon (nation)
Creation Place 1
Africa (continent)
Creation Place 2
Cameroon (nation)
Dimensions
104.2 cm x 60 cm x 18.6 cm (41 in. x 23 5/8 in. x 7 5/16 in.)
Century
20th century
Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessory
Primary Object Type
mask
Physical Description
Face mask embroidered extensively wtih glass beads. Two long panels hang down the front and back of the wearer. Humanoid face at top has two round eye holes allowing the wearer to see, a strip of fabric for nose and open, upturned mouth. Ears are protruding disks attached on either side of the face . Top of the head is covered with small, corklike knobs covered with black cloth. The beadwork is predominantly green, with intricate, scallop-shaped patterns along edge of panels, and vertical, star-like patterns filling center of the panels. Interior of panels is lined with damask.
Subject Matter
Stylized images of the elephant abound in the pageantry that surrounded Bamileke kings and men of distinction. The elephant masquerade was danced by members of powerful men’s regulatory societies that oversaw the ritual and judicial affairs of the kingdom. Performed at royal festivals and funerals, these masks honored the authority of leadership and the transcendental forces of the forest.
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
850 x 1467
File Size
119 KB
Record
1997/1.319
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.319/1997_1.319.jpg

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Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.319:1997_1.319.JPG

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Full citation
"Elephant Mask (mbap mteng); Artist Unknown, African, Bamileke Peoples, Cameroon." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.319/1997_1.319.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.
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