Ask the Scholar
Page 1 of 1
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
Document source description
Tubular eyes and the fringe of carved leopard canine teeth identify this mask as male. Such masks appeared only during very important moments. The dancer wore a leopard skin over his head and shoulders, held an elephant's tusk in his hand, and had his face painted white. The masks function as peacemakers; they led soldiers into battle, and administered justice.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 009253468fd10600
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 146107
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "146107",
"contentType": "object",
"title": "Face Mask (Tehe gla)",
"description": "Tubular eyes and the fringe of carved leopard canine teeth identify this mask as male. Such masks appeared only during very important moments. The dancer wore a leopard skin over his head and shoulders, held an elephant's tusk in his hand, and had his face painted white. The masks function as peacemakers; they led soldiers into battle, and administered justice.",
"date": "early 1900s",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.294",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Mask"
],
"iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.)",
"cul": [
"Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire or Liberia, Wè-style carver"
],
"accession": "1971.294"
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "146107",
"label": "Face Mask (Tehe gla)",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "146107",
"contentType": "object",
"title": "Face Mask (Tehe gla)",
"description": "Tubular eyes and the fringe of carved leopard canine teeth identify this mask as male. Such masks appeared only during very important moments. The dancer wore a leopard skin over his head and shoulders, held an elephant's tusk in his hand, and had his face painted white. The masks function as peacemakers; they led soldiers into battle, and administered justice.",
"date": "early 1900s",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.294",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Mask"
],
"iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.)",
"cul": [
"Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire or Liberia, Wè-style carver"
],
"accession": "1971.294"
}
Document source extras
{
"tec": "Wood, boar tusks, pelt, cloth, human hair, probably aluminum, reeds, iron alloy, copper alloy, plant fiber, and paint",
"tombstone": "Face Mask (Tehe gla), early 1900s. Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire or Liberia, Wè-style carver. Wood, boar tusks, pelt, cloth, human hair, probably aluminum, reeds, iron alloy, copper alloy, plant fiber, and paint; overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White, 1971.294",
"collection": "African Art",
"formerAccessionNumbers": [
"830.68"
],
"didYouKnow": "The masquerader who wore this mask also had a body costume of layers of raffia and matching anklets; cloth covered their head.",
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Boyer, Alain-Michel. We. Milano: 5 Continents Editions, 2020.",
"page_number": "p. 28, ill. pl. 10 and p. 109"
},
{
"citation": "Fagg, William. <em>African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection</em>. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: no. 60"
},
{
"citation": "“New Acquisitions.” <em>African Arts</em> 5, no. 4 (Summer 1972): 77–78.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: P. 78",
"url": "http://www.jstor.org/stable/3334598"
},
{
"citation": "Cleveland Museum of Art, and Henry John Drewal. <em>African Art: A Brief Guide to the Collection: the Cleveland Museum of A</em>rt. [Cleveland]: The Museum, 1989.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: P. 6, fig. 8"
},
{
"citation": "Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: Selected Works of African Art.</em> [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: P. 58-59, no. 14"
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.294",
"creditline": "Gift of Katherine C. White",
"updatedAt": "2026-05-29 07:29:42.209000",
"imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_print.jpg",
"sourceId": 146107,
"dept": "African Art",
"coll": "African Art",
"med": "Wood, boar tusks, pelt, cloth, human hair, probably aluminum, reeds, iron alloy, copper alloy, plant fiber, and paint",
"thumbnail_url": null,
"image_url": null
}
Page context
{
"seq": 1,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.294/1971.294_web.jpg",
"mediaId": "009253468fd10600"
}