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Large Dance Mask
Large Dance Mask
Courtesy of the Harn Museum of Art, Photography by Randy Batista

Large Dance Mask

Maker New Guinean, Blackwater River, Sepik
Date20th century
Place of originAsia
MediumRattan, cassowary feathers, clay, pigment
Dimensions26 1/4 x 17 3/8 x 33 1/8 in. (66.7 x 44.1 x 84.1 cm)
ClassificationsClothing and accessories
Credit LineGift of Dr. Samuel Spring
Object numberS85-SPNG-G251
Collections
Visual DescriptionMask with white, black, and red paint with fringe around the eyes and an elongated nose.
Multi-length brownish feathers secured to thin bamboo handle with twine. A reddish glue is apparent underneath feathers.
Feather whisk
New Guinean, Sepik River
last half 20th century
Woven rattan helmet-type mask with attached clay covered rattan disk as face. Large pierced nose. Cowrie shell beard. Small slit mouth and eyes. Surrounded by cassowary feathers.
Initiation Mask
Iatmul
20th century
Ruff of feathers secured with twine.
Cassowary Headdress
New Guinean, Middle or Lower Sepik
last half 20th century
Woven basketry cone shaped from topped with traditional Sepik human head made of clay and painted designs. Large shell eyes, typical nose and protruding tongue. Hair beard. Face encircled in shells, embedded with clay. On basketry torso is the "dual" ancestor's face mocking the larger predominate face. Raffia fringe extends from bottom. Handle on side and back. Wood plug earring. Raffia fringe covers armholes inside. Striped design in red, black and yellow.
Dual ancestral costume
Iatmul
20th century
Finely woven rattan body costume with hanging fiber. Wings and head made from plaited string. Long neck. Design painted on predominately black body. Shell eye. Cassowary feathers extend down sides and ridge of back. Dangling twine from circular disc ears.
Cassowary Dance Costume
Iatmul
20th century
Body masquerade woven(?) horizontally of woven rattan. Pig face with snout from which feathers, twine and fabric dangle. Cowrie shell eyes. Headdress of face. Earrings ? object in nose dangle from ears. Tusks extending from one side of mouth. Rows of cassowary feathers extend length of body and fringe hangs at bottom. Highlighted with earth pigment.
Pig dance costume
Iatmul
20th century
Small elliptical shaped woven face mask surrounded with feathers and attached to large shell with rattan.
Bride Price
Sawos
20th century
Plaited fiber scalloped oval attached to 2 bands or handles of plaited raffia. Extension decorated with numerous half cowries in a geometric design large square with V-shape extensions. Cut wood on either side of square.
Armband
New Guinean, Sepik River
20th century
Helmet mask depicting a composite boar and bird, made of wood and rattan, lined with cloth. The face has intricate openwork carving and is painted with fine lines in red, and black pigments over a white ground. A ruff of coconut fibers encircling back of head and fringe on chin. Snout of warthog has a bird with long bill, which is broken and glued together. Eyes of warthog and bird are made of snail shells (opercula). Trade cloth liner is made of two pieces of different floral patterns.
Boar Mask
Papua New Guinea
early-mid 20th century
Human face mask with large arched superstructure of rattan, thick, fiber brush on top, with light pigment on side filling swirl motif; face has operculum shell eyes, with hook nose, mouth has lips that are parted and flattened to form perpendicular plane to face. Face is painted with finely lined motifs, varied pigments against light ground.
Mask for Malangan (tatanua)
Papua New Guinea
late 19th - early 20th century
Headband
Headband
New Guinean, Middle or Lower Sepik
20th century
A dark wooden mask featuring deep round eyes, a prominent nose, and an open mouth showing teeth. Cowrie shells are attached to the upper edge, and a thick fringe of dark feathers and fibers surrounds the lower face.
Mask (gle)
Dan Artist
undated

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