Marionette Head of an Antelope

Label TextLong established as fishermen, the Bozo were known to place animal heads on the prows of their canoes. The dynamic faceted face and backward curve of this antelope would have projected symbolic strength as a canoe moved through the water. The head might also have been manipulated during village performances by a handle inserted underneath.

Object number81.17.21

ProvenanceAcquired by Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1961 (location unknown); bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Exhibition HistoryCleveland, Ohio, Cleveland Museum of Art, African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection, July 10 - Sept. 1, 1968 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Museum, Oct. 10 - Dec. 1, 1968). Text by William Fagg. Cat. no. 13 (as Antelope Mask). Los 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. 151, reproduced fig. K-9 (as mask). Published ReferencesNational Gallery of African. Smithsonian Institution, African Art In American Collections, Vol. II, Robbins, Warren, 1985

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions30 1/2 x 8 3/8 x 10 1/8 in. (77.5 x 21.2 x 25.7 cm)

MediumWood