Helmet mask "gelede" · Benin / Nigeria, Ketu, Yoruba · ID: 3045680
not available anymore
Provenance
Robert Duperrier, Paris, France (1984)Jan Lundberg, Malmö, Sweden (1986)
Size
H: 38 cm
H: 15.0 inch
Description
wood, pigment remains, carved with european hat and two sheathed knives
Masks like this are worn by men in elaborate masquerade performances known as “gelede.” They have been described as real spectacles with an enormous variety of headdresses and costumes. They take place every year between march and may at the beginning of the new planting season.
Comparing literature
Lawal, Babatunde, The Gèlèdé Spectacle, Seattle, London 1996, p. 202, ill. 7.13
Publications
Afrikanskt / African Art, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö1986, p. 79, cat. 91AHDRC: 0133782