Helmet Mask (Bwoom)

Embellished with cowrie shells, beads, seed pods, copper sheeting, goatskin, and hair, bwoom is one of three types of royal Kuba masks, all of which are treated as embodiments of nature spirits (mingesh). According to one local interpretation, the bwoom mask represents a prince who suffered from a neurological condition that caused his head to swell with accumulated fluid. Another says that bwoom is the image of one of the original Twa (Pygmy) inhabitants of the region. During performances the masks reenact episodes in the foundation of the kingdom.

About the sculpture

Particulars

Neighbors at Art Institute of Chicago

On the same theme · Masks

Not receiving at present

What it shows

In the catalog

Sources

Helmet Mask (Mukenga)

Face Mask (Ngady Mwaash)

The Bedroom, 1889

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–86, border added 1888–89

Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877

Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881

The Basket of Apples, c. 1893

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), 1890–91

American Gothic, 1930

Nighthawks, 1942

Mask of Rose Beuret, ca. 1880–82 or 1898

Program Design for the Théâtre Libre, 1890

Kotsuis and Hohhuq-Nakoaktok, 1914

Fête foraine (Fair), from Transmutations, 1934-1935, printed 1967

Transmutations, 1934–1935

Tentation de Saint Antoine (Temptation of Saint Anthony), from Transmutations, 1934-1935, printed 1967

The Ridotto Pubblico at Palazzo Dandolo, ca. 1765–68

Venise sauvée (Venice Preserved), 1895