Kpellie Masked Figure

Kpellie Masked Figure

Africa

Senufo Culture

Africa

"This sculpture is unusual in that the head is represented by a large, stylized Kpellie mask, while the body takes the form of a much smaller and much more naturalistic nude female figure with large, sloping breasts. The contrast shown here between the stylized portrayal and the naturalistic portrayal of ideal Senufo beauty is highly also unusual. However, the most unusual aspect of this sculpture is the fact that the body is represented as a nude female, when all masquerades among the Senufo are exclusively performed by the members of the Poro male secret society, and the masqueraders are covered both by their cloth costumes and by a heavy skirt of raffia attached to the bottom of the mask. Nevertheless, this depiction does not necessarily represent an aberration from tradition, as Senufo masqueraders are perceived to become the characters whom they represent; this sculpture may simply be illustrating that the man who wears the Kpellie mask has truly succeeded in becoming the character that he is representing in the masquerade, a beautiful female personage."

Katie McElfresh, 2011, Missouri State University student

94 cm h. x 41 cm w. x 14.5 cm d.

sculpture

wood

carving

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Stoneman

1985.34

1985

20110081