Lion Mask

Date1850-1980

Label TextRestraint is the lesson to be learned from this lion. His face, with slit eyes and a broad forehead, is overtly feline but his teeth are discreetly hidden. In performances, the lion remains calm and poised even when taunted by other masks, who do all they can to upset his composure. In the Kore Society, young men learn the value of reflection and judicious use of their knowledge and strength.

Object number81.17.20

Provenance[Harry Franklin, Beverly Hills, California]; purchased from gallery by Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1971; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, University of California, African Art in Motion: Icon and Act, Jan. 20 - Mar. 17, 1974 (Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, May 5 - Sept. 22, 1974). Text by Robert Farris Thompson. No cat. no., p. 132, reproduced pl. 169 (as "kore" mask). Bellingham, Washington, Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Masks: Facing the World, July 30 - Nov. 8, 1987. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Praise Poems: The Katherine White Collection, July 29 - Sept. 29, 1984 (Washington, D.C., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Oct. 31, 1984 - Feb. 25, 1985; Raleigh, North Carolina Museum of Art, Apr. 6 - May 19, 1985; Fort Worth, Texas, Kimbell Art Museum, Sept. 7 - Nov. 25, 1985; Kansas City, Missouri, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Mar. 8 - Apr. 20, 1986). Text by Pamela McClusky. Cat. no. 39, pp. 86-87, reproduced.

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions17 11/16 x 13 1/8 x 7 1/4 in. (45 x 33.3 x 18.4 cm)

MediumWood, pigment, and fiber