Gelede Mask of a French Gendarme. Unidentified Yoruba artist, late 19th or early 20th century. Benin. Wood, pigment, 10 x 7 x 11 in. (25.4 x 17.8 x 27.9 cm). Gift of Eugene and Harriet Becker, 1991.226.3
Gelede is a performance that often serves as a showcase for artistic innovation, with the forms of gelede masks depicting a wide range of motifs that are both entertaining and critical. This mask depicts a French gendarme, a colonial soldier, and was likely performed as a critique of French personal and political behavior during the colonial period.
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Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum