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Source Description
Suku helmet masks are often used in initiation ceremonies for young men in the society. Helmet masks such as this represent images of deceased elders in the society. They are to ensure successful hunting, help cure illnesses, and protect its wearer from evil. The animal shaped like a gazelle or antelope is typically associated with folktales, proverbs, and personal hunting exploits.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168746
label
Mask (hemba)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168746
contentType
object
title
Mask (hemba)
description
Suku helmet masks are often used in initiation ceremonies for young men in the society. Helmet masks such as this represent images of deceased elders in the society. They are to ensure successful hunting, help cure illnesses, and protect its wearer from evil. The animal shaped like a gazelle or antelope is typically associated with folktales, proverbs, and personal hunting exploits.
date
late 1800s–early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Mask
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 50 x 25 x 27.2 cm (19 11/16 x 9 13/16 x 10 11/16 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Suku-style carver
accession
2010.45
Source extras
tec
Wood, reed, paint, and metal
tombstone
Mask (hemba), late 1800s–early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Suku-style carver. Wood, reed, paint, and metal; overall: 50 x 25 x 27.2 cm (19 11/16 x 9 13/16 x 10 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.450
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Suku helmet masks are often used in initiation ceremonies for young men in the society.
citations
citation
Bastin, Marie-Louise, et al. <em>Utotombo. L'Art d'Afrique noire dans les collections privées belges: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 25 mars-5 juin 1988</em>, 99. Exh. Cat. Brussels: Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, March 25-June 5, 1988.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 99, cat. XXXI
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "René and Odette Delenne." In <em>Tribal Art</em> XV-4, no. 61 (Autumn 2011): 121.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 121, fig. 7
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em>. Vol. 53 no. 05, September/October 2013
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: p. 3
citation
Petridis, Constantine, et al. <em>Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 19, 24, 29, 44, 120.
page_number
Reproduced: pp. 63, 120; mentioned: p. 113-114, cat. 23
citation
"In Case You Missed It: Fragments of the Invisible." The International Review of African American Art 25, no. 1 (2014): 10-11.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 10.
creditline
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:40:51.544000
sourceId
168746
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, reed, paint, and metal
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
74e633e8a6855bb8