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Today at the Museum

May 22, 2013

A Taste of Asia

1 – 2 p.m.

Mask
Title:Mask
Artist:Unknown
Date:first half of 20th century
Creation Place:Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa region
Credit Line:Gift of Walker Art Center and the T.B. Walker Foundation, 2006
Accession Number:2006.36.3
The iconography of this mask is a compilation of powerful animals including the horns of an antelope, the tusks of a warthog, and the jaws of a crocodile. It represents the "wildness" of the jungle, and the mask was used to frighten negative forces. Usually used during nighttime ceremonies, this "firespitter" mask would shoot sparks from burning coals out of its mouth.