Gelede Helmet Mask of a Gendarme
early 20th century
Yorùbá
Arts of Africa
Male Yoruba dancers wear gelede masks at festivals honoring the women of the community. Gelede masquerades often serve as a showcase for artistic innovation, with their masks depicting motifs that are both entertaining and critical. This mask depicts a French gendarme, a colonial soldier wearing a blue cap, and was most likely performed as a critique of French personal and political behavior during the colonial period.
- Maker/Artist
- Yorùbá
- Classification
- Masks
- Formatted Medium
- Wood, metal, pigment
- Locations
- Place made: Benin
- Dimensions
- 10 x 7 x 11 in. (25.4 x 17.8 x 27.9 cm)
- Departments
- Arts of Africa
- Accession Number
- 1991.226.3
- Credit Line
- Gift of Eugene and Harriet Becker
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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