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May 11, 2009

Nov 3, 2009

Buffalo Mask

early to mid-1900s

Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, possibly Bwa-style maker

Wood, plant fibers, paint, and iron

Overall: 69.8 cm (27 1/2 in.)

Gift of Katherine C. White 1969.2

Location

108A Sub-Saharan

Description

Among the Bwa people, masks with human, animal, and fantastic traits typically represent protective bush spirits. This mask’s horns and muzzle identify it as a bush buffalo. Masked dancers appear during the dry season for initiations, funerals of elders, market days, harvest celebrations, and annual renewal rituals to protect the well-being of the community.

Video

Provenance

?–1969

Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1969–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Fagg, William. African Tribal Images: the Katherine White Reswick Collection. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968. Reproduced: cat. no. 31

Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1969.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 57, no. 1 (January 1970): 2–50. Reproduced: p. 41, fig. 128; mentioned: p. 147 www.jstor.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 411 archive.org

Kathman, Barbara A. A Cleveland Bestiary. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981. Mentioned: p. 16, p. 60; Reproduced: p. 17

Henry John Drewal. African Art: A Brief Guide to the Collection : the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1989. fig. 17

Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. p. 153

Connell, Timothy C., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World Art Transparencies. Cincinnati: West Educational Pub, 1998. Acetate 43

May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp.67-8. no. 70; listed: p. 118.

Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: cat. 5, p. 40 - 41

Petridis, Constantine. "A New Installation for African Art in Cleveland." Tribal: the Magaine of Tribal Art. 9 (3) no. 36 (Autumn-Winter 2004): 68-73.

Franklin, David and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art; London, Scala Publishers Ltd, 2012. pp. 288-9.

Exhibition history

CMA 1968: African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection, cat. no. 31, repr.

CMA 1970: "Year in Review 1969," CMA Bulletin LVII (Jan., 1970), p. 47, no. 128, repr. p. 41.

CMA 1981: A Cleveland Bestiary, October 14-December 9, 1981, cat. no. 11, repr. p, 17.

Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).

A Cleveland Bestiary. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 14-December 16, 1981).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Buffalo Mask|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.2|year=early to mid-1900s|access-date=09 February 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Buffalo Mask

Buffalo Mask

Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, possibly Bwa-style maker

Location

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