Sowo Mask

between 19th and 20th century

Mende, African

On View

African: Journey of Life, Level 1, North Wing

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About the Artwork

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Provenance

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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Audio Transcript

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About the Artwork

All Mende women are members of the Sande society, which instructs girls in their responsibilities and protects the rights of women in the community. The features of this mask convey Mende ideals of female morality and physical beauty. The downcast eyes indicate a spiritual nature and the high forehead indicates good fortune; the elaborate hairstyle reveals close ties within the community of women. This mask would have been worn with a costume of black raffia that completely hides the identity of the individual.

Title Sowo Mask

Artwork Date between 19th and 20th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Mende

Medium Wood with pigment

Dimensions Overall: 15 13/16 × 9 × 10 1/2 inches (40.2 × 22.9 × 26.7 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department African Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase, New Endowment Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1990.268

Markings

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Provenance

(Merton D. Simpson Gallery, New York, New York, USA);
1990-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Kan, Michael, African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington, 1995, cat. no. 14.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Mende, African, Sowo Mask, between 19th and 20th century, wood with pigment. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, New Endowment Fund, 1990.268.