Admission is Free | Open Wed–Sun
BACK TO COLLECTION
X99.52.4 Mask
Object Name: Mask
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Mende peoples
Place of Origin: Sierra Leone
Date/Era: Collected in Liberia in 1981
Dimensions: H: 46.00 cm, W: 28.00 cm, D: 37.00 cm
Medium/Materials: Wood, raffia, cowries
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Doran H. Ross.
Accession Number: X99.52.4
This mask, with its gleaming black surface, ringed neck, and complex superstructure ornamented by two rats and four fish, alludes to water, the source of secret knowledge and deep wisdom that Sande bestows upon its young initiates.
Source: Exhibition wall text, The Art of Women’s Masquerades in Sierra Leone.
