Brooklyn Museum: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Lipiko Mask

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Lipiko Mask

Lipiko masks are used at boys' and girls' initiation ceremonies to represent spirits (midimu). They are noteworthy for their realism, each mask depicting details of a particular facial type and hairstyle. Lipiko masks are often caricatures of members of neighboring groups, religious leaders, and colonial officials.

Culture: Makonde
Medium: Wood, hair, fiber, pigment
Place Made: Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique
Dates: 19th century
Dimensions: 13 x 10 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 26 x 28.6 cm)
Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands
Museum Location: This item is on view in African Galleries, 1st Floor
Accession Number: 22.1588
Credit Line: Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Image: 3/4 front, 22.1588_threequarter_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

Catalogue Description: Wooden mask, helmet type of heroic size. Soft wood colored a brick-red shade. Human hair (probably) fixed to the top head, beard attached to chin. Protruding lips, flattened nose, rounded forehead. Ears carved into fan-like shapes.