Mechanical Humanoid Mask
Dateca. 1880
Label TextMasks with human features represent ancestors, warriors and supernatural beings that transform into humans. The presence on the dance floor of venerable personages such as these point up the fluid boundaries between the past and present, and between the natural and supernatural realms. This mask has an articulated jaw and once had eyes that moved in the sockets.
Object number91.1.22
ProvenanceMicheal R. Johnson, Seattle, Washington, until 1971; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1971-1991; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Box of Daylight, September 15, 1983 - January 8, 1984Published ReferencesThe Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle Art Museum, 1995, pg. 262
Holm, Bill, Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art, Seattle Art Museum, University of Washington Press, 1983, no. 31, p. 34, illus.Credit LineGift of John H. Hauberg
Dimensions14 x 7 1/2 x 5 1/4 in. (35.56 x 19.05 x 13.34 cm)
MediumAlder, red cedar bark, paint, cotton twine, wool cloth, and nails
First Nations, Nuu-chah-nulth, Hesquiat
ca. 1900
Object number: 91.1.70
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