Makonde artist. <em>Mask (lipiko)</em>, 19th century. Wood, human hair, fiber, pigment, 13 x 10 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 26 x 28.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1588. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.1588_front_SL1.jpg)

Makonde artist. Mask (lipiko), 19th century. Wood, human hair, fiber, pigment, 13 x 10 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 26 x 28.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1588. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.1588_front_SL1.jpg)

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Were these masks used multiple times or were they created specifically for the boy or girl being initiated?

In most cases, a community would share these masks and pass them down, which leads to the general wear and tear and the build up of a patina.

Mask (lipiko)

Arts of Africa

Lipiko masks are used by the Makonde at boys’ and girls’ initiation ceremonies to represent spirits. The masks are noteworthy for their realism, each depicting details of a particular facial type and hairstyle. Lipiko masks are often caricatures representing members of neighboring groups, religious leaders, and colonial officials.

CULTURE Makonde artist

MEDIUM Wood, human 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) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa

ACCESSION NUMBER 22.1588

CREDIT LINE Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund

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.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Makonde artist. Mask (lipiko), 19th century. Wood, human hair, fiber, pigment, 13 x 10 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 26 x 28.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1588. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.1588_front_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE front, 22.1588_front_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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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.

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Were these masks used multiple times or were they created specifically for the boy or girl being initiated?

In most cases, a community would share these masks and pass them down, which leads to the general wear and tear and the build up of a patina.