This mask enables an impossible union to be formed between a hunter and prey. The jaws of a leopard with serrated teeth open downward in counterbalance to the elegant curve of an antelope's horns. A fantastic mythological creature, Zamble dances with alternating movements of a bold, crouching leopard and the gait of a graceful antelope. Dancers display their talent with this unlikely pairing, and appear to assist families through difficult times such as illness or the death of a relative.
Wood and raffia with polychrome
14 15/16 x 5 3/8 x 4 3/4 in. (38 x 13.7 x 12 cm)
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
51.48
Provenance: Purchased from Altman Antiques; Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, 1951
Now on view at the
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.
