Crest Masks

YorubaWW-1867-049200

1867·Wood, pigment, and string·26.4 × 21 × 42.2 cm (10 3/8 × 8 1/4 × 16 5/8 in.)

<p>Representing water spirits, these inventive crest masks combine various animal parts, including the horns of antelope and rams, and the tusks and trunks of elephants. Along with the water birds pegged on the front and back of each crest—one of which is missing—these animals refer to land and water, the human world and the supernatural underwater realm—both domains where water spirits exercise their power.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1867
Medium: Wood, pigment, and string
Dimensions: 26.4 × 21 × 42.2 cm (10 3/8 × 8 1/4 × 16 5/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Yoruba

Artist

Yoruba

Textile

Yoruba is an Atlantic–Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. Yoruba speakers number roughly 50 million, including around 2 million second-language or L2 speakers. As a pluricentric language, it is primarily spoken in a dialectal area spanning Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with smaller migrated communities in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

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