Bush Cow Crest

Label TextThe head of a Cape buffalo has been interpreted into a series of geometric shapes. Adapting the image of a burly slow-moving animal into a masquerade, carvers capture the swirling strength of its horns, completing the costume with a suit of tufted raffia. Energetic as a charging buffalo, the masquerader is called upon to witness appeals for vigorous crop fertility and childbirth.

Object number81.17.544

Provenance[Felix Gluckselig Antiques, New York]; purchased from gallery by Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1977; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Published ReferencesMcClusky, Pamela, Repeat, Repeat, A Community of Collectors, Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 2008, p. 132, illus. fig 2.

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions5 1/2 x 13 1/8 x 18 1/2 in. (14 x 33.4 x 48 cm)

MediumWood