Helmet Mask

Culture: Elema artist
Date: early 20th century
Material: Bark cloth, plant fiber, pigment
from: Gulf province, Papua New Guinea, Oceania
Classification: Costume & clothing, masks
Collection: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 15 7/8 x 22 11/16 x 7 7/8 in. (40.3 x 57.6 x 20 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Morton D. May
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 133:1975

NOTES

With the appearance of a whimsical creature, this mask introduced a mood of welcoming and relaxation during large celebrations. These occasions honored the water spirits among neighboring communities of the Papuan Gulf. Little masks such as this, worn atop the heads of masqueraders, followed the appearance of large masks representing more dangerous water spirits. An artist fabricated this mask by stretching bark cloth over an armature of bamboo branches. Bark cloth is a material obtained by beating the inner bark of mulberry or breadfruit trees.

Provenance

- 1968
D'Arcy Galleries, New York, NY, USA

1968 - 1975
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from D'Arcy Galleries [1]

1975 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]

Notes:
[1] An invoice dated May 11, 1968 from D'Arcy Galleries to Morton D. May documents the purchase, listed as "#1500 / Headdress in the form of a head with raised arms in lieu of ears; tapa cloth, pigment; on wicker frame. New Guinea, Gulf of Papus" [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].

[2] A letter dated August 14, 1975 from Morton D. May to Mary-Edgar Patton, acting director of the Saint Louis Art Museum, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, November 6, 1975.

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