Headdress/mask

Dateearly 20th century

Label TextBush cows, or dwarf forest buffalos, are notoriously volatile creatures. Here, their massive forehead and horns are simulated by a streamlined flat arc. Such masks were worn with bristling raffia costumes that reinforced their wild character. The last photographs of them in use in the 1950s and 1970s offer fleeting records of their performances.

Object number2010.44.1

ProvenanceArman Collection; [Loudmer-Poulain-Cornette de Saint Cyr, "Arts Primitifs_Collection Arman," December 18, 1972, Paris, lot 54, illus.]

Credit LineGift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam

Dimensions14 3/4 x 9 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (37.5 x 24.1 x 11.4 cm)

MediumWood