Helmet Mask (Kponyungo)

Description

Among the Senufo, poro is the generic name for age-grade associations whose functions include interceding with supernatural forces, honoring ancestors, and educating young people. The many elements of composite horizontal masks called kponyungo portray powerful spirits that escort the deceased to the other world and protect the community from supernatural danger. Expressing its potency in that realm, this mask’s animal references include a crocodile’s jaw, a hyena’s snout, and horns of both a ram and an antelope.

Provenance

Henri (died 1992) and Hélène (ex-Kamer) Leloup, Henri A. Kamer Gallery, New York, N.Y., by 1963 [in Senfuo Sculpture from West Africa, 1963, cat. 34, listed as Collection Mr. and Mrs. Henri A. Kamer, New York]; sold to the Art Institute, Nov. 1963.

Helmet Mask (Kponyungo)

Senufo

19th to early 20th century

Accession Number

18759

Medium

Wood and pigment

Dimensions

27.9 × 27.3 × 102.9 cm (11 × 10 3/4 × 40 1/2 in.)

Classification

masks

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund