Plank Mask (karan-wemba)
- Culture
- Mossi artist
- Date
- early 20th century
- Material
- Wood, pigment, iron
- associated with
- Yatenga province, Burkina Faso, Africa
- Classification
- Costume & clothing, masks
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 102
- Dimensions
- 65 15/16 x 7 1/16 x 7 11/16 in. (167.5 x 18 x 19.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 103:1978
NOTES
This mask combines a female figure, which was carved separately and then attached to the mask structure, with the abstract shaft typical of a Mossi mask that towers above the young men who wear it. Masks such as this are danced at funerals in highly acrobatic, dramatic performances designed to emphasize their sculptural height. Among the Mossi, widows who have raised their children and have returned to the households of their father’s family are known as wemba. They are honored as living ancestors and are believed to have a direct line to the spirits of the family forebears. When these women die, masks such as this one, known as "karan-wemba," (wemba mask) perform at their funerals to honor them.
Provenance
- c.1969-1970
Harvey Menist, Amsterdam, Netherlands
c.1969-1970 -
Alexander Roth Gallery, Clayton, MO, USA, acquired from Harvey Menist [1]
- 1978
Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis, MO
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs [2]
Notes:
[1] In an email dated September 27, 2010 to curator Matthew Robb, Michael Roth [of Alexander Roth Gallery] stated this object “came to Alexander Roth Gallery in 1969-70 from Harvey Menist, a dealer in Amsterdam” [copy of email in SLAM document files].
[2] A letter dated July 18, 1978 from Lee A. Parsons, curator at the Saint Louis Art Museum, to Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs acknowledges the gift 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, July 13, 1978.
Harvey Menist, Amsterdam, Netherlands
c.1969-1970 -
Alexander Roth Gallery, Clayton, MO, USA, acquired from Harvey Menist [1]
- 1978
Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis, MO
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs [2]
Notes:
[1] In an email dated September 27, 2010 to curator Matthew Robb, Michael Roth [of Alexander Roth Gallery] stated this object “came to Alexander Roth Gallery in 1969-70 from Harvey Menist, a dealer in Amsterdam” [copy of email in SLAM document files].
[2] A letter dated July 18, 1978 from Lee A. Parsons, curator at the Saint Louis Art Museum, to Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Suggs acknowledges the gift 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, July 13, 1978.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.