Funeral Head mask (Kponungo)
Aggressive masks were believed to be "sent by death" to wage psychological and supernatural warfare against dangerous bush spirits. No single creature serves as a model, as seen in this head, which combines wide open jaws with antelope horns. In some regions, masks of this type have been seen spitting fire to create showers of sparks in dramatic nighttime performances.
Wood, pigment, brass
24 x 13 3/4 x 11 in. (60.9 x 34.9 x 27.9 cm)
Gift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company
81.17.265
Provenance: [Stolper Galleries, New York]; purchased from gallery by Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1962; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981