Collection
/
Arts of Africa

Mask (Gela)

Sapo

1 of 3

Object Label

This very rare Sapo mask would have been used in a performance enacting a terrifying force from the forest. In a society historically without kings or centralized states, the mask may have exerted the will of village elders by imposing economic prohibitions or organizing hunting parties to provide for and protect the village.

Caption

Sapo. Mask (Gela), 20th century. Wood, metal, cowrie shells, bluing, kaolin, animal teeth, antelope and duiker horn, boar tusk, plant fibers, textile, mud, ceramic, 16 x 14 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 36.8 x 29.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J Gordon Douglas III and Dr. and Mrs Milton Gross, by exchange, 2013.61.1. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

Arts of Africa

Culture

Sapo

Title

Mask (Gela)

Date

20th century

Medium

Wood, metal, cowrie shells, bluing, kaolin, animal teeth, antelope and duiker horn, boar tusk, plant fibers, textile, mud, ceramic

Classification

Masks

Dimensions

16 x 14 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 36.8 x 29.2 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J Gordon Douglas III and Dr. and Mrs Milton Gross, by exchange

Accession Number

2013.61.1

Frequent Art Questions

  • Can you provide me with more information about this mask.

    Made by a Sapo artist, the gela mask blends human and animal features. You'll notice that while the head shape is that of a human, a boar's snout takes the place of a human nose. The mask also includes animal teeth, antelope horns, and boar tusks. The feral nature and appearance of the gela acts as a counterexample to humans who are encouraged to embrace order and civilization.

  • Is this from a female society?

    Not quite. This Sapo Gela Mask was used in a performance to enact a terrifying force from the forest, home to untamed creatures. They are often called upon to reconcile problems within a community.
    It is believed that gela can gather up the ill will and negative feelings plaguing a community and deposit them back into the forest, where the untamed forces of nature rule.

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.

Artists and makers

Sapo

1 work in the collection