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Mask
Kom
20th century
Object Place: Western Grassfields, Cameroon
Medium/Technique
Wood, pigment
Dimensions
38.73 cm (15 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William E. and Bertha L. Teel
Accession Number1994.402
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsMasks
Interlocking spiders and chameleons surmount the gorilla head on this mask, worn in dances that stressed the power of the chief. The mask represents Mabu, one of the chief's emissaries.
ProvenanceApril, 1984, acquired in Cameroon. October, 1984, sold by Harris Brown Gallery, Boston, to William and Bertha Teel, Marblehead, MA; 1994, partial gift of William and Bertha Teel to the MFA; 2014, acquired fully with the bequest of William Teel to the MFA. (Accession Dates: January 26, 1994 and February 26, 2014)