Sachihongo Mask
- Culture
- Mbunda artist
- Date
- 20th century
- Material
- Wood, fiber, pigment
- possibly associated with
- Western province, Zambia, Africa
- possibly associated with
- North Western province, Zambia, Africa
- Classification
- Costume & clothing, masks
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 117
- Dimensions
- 29 3/4 × 29 × 12 in. (75.6 × 73.7 × 30.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Partial gift of Thomas Alexander and Laura Rogers, and funds given by the John R. Goodall Charitable Trust, the McMillan-Avery Fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. William H. Danforth, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Langsdorf Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Miller, Ms. Jane Stamper, the Gateway Apparel Charitable Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Knight, Mr. and Mrs. William F. Schierholz, and donors to the 1993 Art Enrichment Fund
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 6:1994
NOTES
Incised arches across a broad forehead suggest the furrowed brow of one who is wise and fierce. This mask represents Sachihongo, a powerful character understood as an ancestral or elder chief, hunter, or diviner. Sachihongo is one of many figures represented in Mbunda masquerades to celebrate young male initiates’ return to the community following a period of seclusion for circumcision and instruction. Feathers and plant fibers were attached to holes around the edge of the mask. The masquerader wore a netted body suit and fiber skirts while dancing to a quick rhythm.
Provenance
- 1994
Alexander Gallery, Inc. (Thomas Alexander), St. Louis, MO, USA
1994 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchase and partial gift of Thomas Alexander and Laura L. Rogers [2]
Notes:
[1] The main source for this provenance is the shipping record that documents the delivery of the piece on June 25, 1993 from B. C. Holland, Inc. to the Saint Louis Art Museum for consideration as purchase [SLAM document files].
[2] An invoice dated January 28, 1994 from Alexander Gallery, Inc. to the Saint Louis Art Museum documents the purchase of 50% of this object, listed as "8416 Old Mabundu Mask, Angola, Zambia." A Deed of Gift signed by Thomas Alexander on December 11, 1997 documents the gift of the remaining 50% of this object to the Museum [invoice and Deed of Gift in SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, January 19, 1994 and December 11, 1997
Alexander Gallery, Inc. (Thomas Alexander), St. Louis, MO, USA
1994 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchase and partial gift of Thomas Alexander and Laura L. Rogers [2]
Notes:
[1] The main source for this provenance is the shipping record that documents the delivery of the piece on June 25, 1993 from B. C. Holland, Inc. to the Saint Louis Art Museum for consideration as purchase [SLAM document files].
[2] An invoice dated January 28, 1994 from Alexander Gallery, Inc. to the Saint Louis Art Museum documents the purchase of 50% of this object, listed as "8416 Old Mabundu Mask, Angola, Zambia." A Deed of Gift signed by Thomas Alexander on December 11, 1997 documents the gift of the remaining 50% of this object to the Museum [invoice and Deed of Gift in SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, January 19, 1994 and December 11, 1997
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.