Fiber mask
Social Media Share Tools
Object Details
- Lwena artist
- Label Text
- Robert and Ninette Reis, who donated this mask, recall that the Zambian National Dance Troupe, which performed in Zambia, as well as overseas, had a small area in a government building in central Lusaka, where there were reference materials on Zambian dances. One day in 1971 or 1972, Robert Reis went to the library to read about a dance that he had seen performed at a cultural center in Livingston, Zambia. He asked a clerk at the office who made the masks for the troupe, and if this artist ever made masks for sale. The clerk replied in the affirmative and arranged for Robert and Ninette Reise to meet the mask maker. The artist agreed to make a number of masks for them, including this hyena mask.
- Description
- Fiber mask representing a hyena with large oval body with fiber fringe; animal head with movable lower jaw; red spots painted on black body.
- Provenance
- Robert C. Reis, Jr., commissioned from the artist, Zambia, 1972 to 1975
- Exhibition History
- Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual, Renwick Gallery, Washington D.C., March 17, 1982-July 10, 1983
- Published References
- Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2010. "Impermanent by Design: The Ephemeral in Africa’s Tradition-based Arts." African Arts 23 (1), p. 23, no. 13.
- Park, Edwards. 1983. Treasures of the Smithsonian. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, p. 379.
- Smithsonian Institution. Office of Folklife Programs and Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art. 1982. Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 27 and 110, no. 122.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Robert C. Reis Jr.
- Late 20th century
- Object number
- 75-12-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Mask
- Medium
- Cloth, raffia, pigment
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 40.4 x 148.3 x 203.1 cm (15 7/8 x 58 3/8 x 79 15/16 in.)
- Geography
- Zambia
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- hyena
- Male use
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_75-12-1
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys724103440-0cf6-40c5-bae2-6b40c1d576ff
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.