Makonde
Helmet Mask (Lipiko)
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Helmet Mask (Lipiko)” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
Incarnating ancestral spirits, Makonde helmet masks appear in dances that celebrate the conclusion of initiation rituals for adolescent boys and girls. In this darkbrown male example, real human hair has been applied to the skull in irregular patterns that imitate a once-fashionable hairstyle. Its other lifelike characteristics include angular scarification marks and chipped teeth. The artist’s proper name— Diteka—is inscribed in Swahili on the mask’s cheek.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 2017.106
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
