Mask (Rom)
Arts of the Pacific Islands
The prismatic form of this striking mask is characteristic of rom masks from Ambrym Island in Vanuatu. It is made of fiber and cane thickly plastered with a vegetable paste and painted in the bright and unusual color combinations characteristic of these islands. Long fiber "hair" is fixed to the sides and base of the mask. Such masks are part of an elaborate system of masks and hats worn by members of the secret men's organizations that regulate almost all aspects of social life in Vanuatu. Each grade or rank within these societies has its own mask type. When they are in use, the masks are believed to provide a temporary resting place for the spirits of immediate ancestors, most specifically, the grandfather.
MEDIUM
Palm spathe, bamboo, coconut fiber, hemp, pigment
DATES
19th century
DIMENSIONS
37 3/4 x 8 x 9 in. (95.9 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
86.229.5
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Marcia and John Friede and Mrs Melville W. Hall
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Mask. Palm spathe, bamboo, coir, hemp, pigment. Diamond-shaped human face, painted white, blue, black, and traces of red; visor-like eyebrows; large attached nose, open, upturned mouth. Long, thick, twisted tendrils of raffia hang from all sides. Armature visible from behind.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Ambrym. Mask (Rom), 19th century. Palm spathe, bamboo, coconut fiber, hemp, pigment, 37 3/4 x 8 x 9 in. (95.9 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede and Mrs Melville W. Hall, 86.229.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.229.5_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 86.229.5_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a
Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online
application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the
United States Library of Congress,
Cornell University,
Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and
Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our
blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact
copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.
