Skip to main content
Miniature mask (maa)
Miniature mask (maa)

Miniature mask (maa)

Dateearly 20th century
MediumWood
Dimensions3 7/8 x 2 3/8 x 1 1/2 inches (9.8 x 6 x 3.8 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGeorge Way Harley Memorial Collection, Duke University
Object numberL.2.1974.171
Collections
  • AFRICAN
Label TextThis may be a miniature version of a larger mask. It could have been commissioned as a small replica to be taken on journeys so that its owner might retain contact with the larger mask-spirit even though the original was far away. When a man travels to an area where he is unknown, the miniature mask conveys his status and identifies him as being under the protection of a full-size mask. If the larger mask were ever damaged or destroyed, the replica could also serve as a model to re-carve a larger version.