Serpent mask

Label TextSlithering down from the sky, a serpent mask with a body completely covered by dark raffia made a dramatic entrance. By twisting its head from side to side rapidly, the serpent would seem to ripple in the air. Serpent masks were most often called upon to thank spirits and ancestors for enabling bountiful harvests.

Object number81.17.86

Provenance[Alexander-Suggs Gallery, Inc., Clayton, Missouri]; purchased from gallery by Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1975; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions151 9/16 x 8 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. (385 x 21 x 26 cm)

MediumWood, fiber, hair, pigment