This face mask covered with aluminum plates and circular mirrors is used in the context of initiation ceremonies among the Malinke in Guinea. The ornamental use of metal reflects influences from the decorative motifs of Islamic art.
Guinea, Malinke, 20th century, made of wood, aluminum, bronze and mirrors, 73 x 28 x 18 cm, 1901 g, 73.1998.3.1 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries, Vincent Chenet
This dance headdress is made from the trunk of a tree fern, covered in fibers and painted with pigments of European origin in red, white and blue. The base of the helmet is formed of two figures in relief, positioned back-to-back. These figures are each decorated with a pair of boar’s tusks, which are the traditional currency of Vanuatu. It was worn during men’s grading ceremonies which enable a man to advance his prestige and power.
Vanuatu, Malekula Island, beginning of the 20th century, made of tree fern wood, vegetal paste, bamboo, vegetal fibers, pigments and boar’s tusks, 80 x 38 x 62 cm, 71.1961.103.16 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Thierry Ollivier and Michel Urtado
The use and form of these masks remain enigmatic. They are attributed to non-Buddhist societies from the hills of Nepal (Tamang, Raï or Gurung), which fell into disuse at the end of the 19th century. They could be the faces of ancestors, demons or theatrical personalities.
Mask, made of wood, with a patina of resin and soot, Nepal, end of the 19th century, inv. 70.2003.1.20, donated by Marc Petit with life interest reserved© musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photograph Thomas Duval
In Central Africa and in particular for the Kongo groups, the role of the diviner, the Nganga, is crucial for the life of the village. When he officiates, he wears a mask in order not to call attention to his status of a human when he enters into contact with invisible worlds.
Loango Coast, Kongo people, beginning of the 20th century, made of wood, pigment, monkey hair, metal and textiles, 34.5 x 18.5 x 14.1 cm, 273 g, formerly in the André Lefèvre collection, 73.1965.10.5 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries, Valérie
These masks represent bush spirits who were called upon to purify the village. The masked dance of the Hudoq takes place when the granaries are full. "It is considered by the villagers to be a fertility rite for the earth and for all of nature. The masks played an ambivalent role: they acted as scarecrows to frighten away evil spirits and as magnets for good spirits which they ultimately incarnated,” according to Nicole Revel. They reflect wild creatures and they include in their complex forms wild boar tusks, hornbill beaks or carnivore teeth. The bearers of these masks wore voluminous mantles of banana leaves.
Kalimantan, Greater Sunda Islands, beginning of the 20th century, made of wood and decorated with polychrome paint, 70.2001.27.234 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries and Bruno Descoings
The jointed masks of the Haida people portray an ancestor or a mythical hero whose exploits are retold during theatrical performances. The mouth and eyes are jointed and the movement of the eyelids, painted in white, suggests the alternation of day and night.
Jointed mask of the Haida people, Canada, British Columbia, 19th century, made of cedar wood and fibers, painted in green, red, black and white, with metal pins, formerly in the André Breton collection, donated by Aube Breton-Elléouët and Oona Elléouët, 7
The ikwara mask of the Punu people of Gabon appears when justice must be done. This is a violent mask that is feared and comes to restore order after a serious event has struck the community.
Gabon, Punu people, 19th century, made of wood, 46 x 21 x 16.5 cm, 1,392 g, formerly in the collections of Maurice de Vlaminck, Félicia Dialossin and André Fourquet, 70.2004.1.2 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries and Bruno Descoings
These masks with a fierce expression and caricatural features represent the demons responsible for diseases. They are worn during theatrical therapeutic rituals. The faces are humorous reminders of different health problems: headache, toothache, etc.
Sri Lanka, beginning of the 20th century, made of wood, fur, straw, porcelain, shells, leather and wire, 37 x 40 x 17 cm, 70.2003.22.1 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries and Bruno Descoings
Mask of "the Spirit of the Moon" worn by the angalkuq (shaman) during ceremonies for successful hunting. On the face of the mask, the spirit of the Moon and that of a dog or a wolf are also represented. The disks portray the air bubbles of the seal as it emerges from the surface of the water.
Alaska, United States, Yup’ik, region of Anvik, beginning of the 20th century, made of painted wood, with feathers and leather, 70.2006.27.1, acquired under the sponsorship of METROPOLE gestion © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries
This type of mask was placed on the façades of the men’s houses under a thatched overhang. It plays the role de guardian and represents an ancestor spirit of the clan that owns the house.
Papua-New Guinea, Middle Sepik, village of Chambri, beginning of the 20th century, made of painted wood, 120 x 57 cm, La Korrigane Expedition, 71.1961.103.316 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries
Masks of stone have been found around the sites of palaces of the Teotihuacan civilization. They are all the more exceptional due to the fact that only very rare anthropomorphic representations remain of this culture. These masks were probably the faces of statues that were dressed and made with bodies of perishable materials that have today disappeared.
Mexico, Teotihuacan Culture, 150 – 650 A.D. green stone, donation by Alphonse Pinart, 71.1878.1.168 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries and Bruno Descoings
This mask was worn like a helmet, on the top of the head. It represents a dignitary wearing a knitted cap covered with small tubes of knotted thread. It was brought out to maintain public order.
Cameroon, Bekom people, 20th century, made of wood, 34 x 28 x 26 cm, 1537 g, bequest by Pierre Harter, 73.1992.0.12 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries