Mask (lewa)
- Culture
- Vokeo Island artist
- Date
- early 20th century
- Material
- Wood
- Classification
- Costume & clothing, masks
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 107
- Dimensions
- 19 1/8 x 8 3/4 x 6 in. (48.5 x 22.2 x 15.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 170:1975
NOTES
A nose in the pointed form of a bird’s beak enhances the elongated face and smiling expression of this mask. Foundational beliefs specify that ancestors can appear in many forms, including those of animals. The incorporation of birdlike elements in ancestral sculpture, as seen here, is characteristic of art from the Lower Sepik River region.
When performed, this mask was a small part of a gigantic, full-body costume covered with feathers and shells. The masquerader appeared in the central gathering place of a village during initiation ceremonies for boys to achieve adult status. Occasionally, the mask would have been hung on the facade of a men’s ceremonial house to signal an important event or preparation for a ceremony.
Provenance
1934
Probably collected by Herbert Ian Hogbin (1904-1989) on Wogeo Island, Papua New Guinea [1]
1965 - 1975
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased at auction of Primitive Art, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, April 22, 1965, lot no. 96 [2]
1975 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [3]
Notes:
[1] Herbert Ian Hogbin was an anthropologist who worked on Wogeo Island in 1934 and 1948 [Hogbin, Ian. The Island of Menstruating Men: Religion in Wogeo, New Guinea. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, Inc., 1996 reprint]. Although images of this object are included in that publication, it does not indicate the year it was collected. Additional publications identify this object as “Collected by H. Ian Hogbin, 1934” [Gathercole, Peter, Adrienne L. Kaeppler, and Douglas Newton. The Art of the Pacific Islands. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1979; Kaeppler, Adrienne, Christian Kauffman, and Douglas Newton. Oceanic Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1997]. The 1965 auction catalogue notes this object was “collected in 1930” and worn as a pair with 1426:1983 [Primitive Art, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, April 22, 1965, lot no. 95 and 96].
[2] See Note [1]. An invoice dated April 22, 1965 from Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc. to Morton D. May documents the purchase of this object, listed as “96 Mask” [SLAM document files].
[3] 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.
Probably collected by Herbert Ian Hogbin (1904-1989) on Wogeo Island, Papua New Guinea [1]
1965 - 1975
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased at auction of Primitive Art, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, April 22, 1965, lot no. 96 [2]
1975 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [3]
Notes:
[1] Herbert Ian Hogbin was an anthropologist who worked on Wogeo Island in 1934 and 1948 [Hogbin, Ian. The Island of Menstruating Men: Religion in Wogeo, New Guinea. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, Inc., 1996 reprint]. Although images of this object are included in that publication, it does not indicate the year it was collected. Additional publications identify this object as “Collected by H. Ian Hogbin, 1934” [Gathercole, Peter, Adrienne L. Kaeppler, and Douglas Newton. The Art of the Pacific Islands. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1979; Kaeppler, Adrienne, Christian Kauffman, and Douglas Newton. Oceanic Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1997]. The 1965 auction catalogue notes this object was “collected in 1930” and worn as a pair with 1426:1983 [Primitive Art, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, April 22, 1965, lot no. 95 and 96].
[2] See Note [1]. An invoice dated April 22, 1965 from Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc. to Morton D. May documents the purchase of this object, listed as “96 Mask” [SLAM document files].
[3] 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.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.