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)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis
- 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.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- aristocracy
- associated concepts
- beads and sets of beads
- costume
- costume by function
- descriptors
- events
- groups of people
- mammals
- masks (costume)
- nobility
- object genres
- object genres by form
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- political concepts
- social classes
- social classes by specific type
- social groups
- social science concepts
- social status
- sociological concepts
- upper class
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- 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
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.319:1997_1.319.JPG
Cite this Item
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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 April 19, 2024.