Collection
/
Arts of Africa

Mask (lipiko)

Makonde artist

1 of 6

Object Label

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.

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)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

Arts of Africa

Title

Mask (lipiko)

Date

19th century

Medium

Wood, human hair, fiber, pigment

Classification

Masks

Dimensions

13 x 10 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 26 x 28.6 cm)

Credit Line

Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund

Accession Number

22.1588

Rights

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.

Frequent Art Questions

  • 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.

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Artists and makers

Makonde

5 works in the collection