Bambara Antelope Headdress (Chiwara) III
Senegal
A headdress constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised as a planar openwork structure rising from a tiered base.
Description
Carved from a single wood block, a single twisted shaft terminates in a curved spiral horn. A forward-projecting antelope head with elongated muzzle and carved ear element is positioned at the upper register. The openwork structure is formed by intersecting ribs arranged in a curved register behind the head. Square and lozenge-form inlays in bone are set into the head, midsection, and base; small circular bone inserts are aligned in linear sequences.
The base is tiered, with a diamond-shaped open element above a pyramidal support carrying incised and inlaid elements.
Surface is compact and stable, with exposure at projecting elements; inlaid elements retained.
Context
Among the Bambara, Chiwara headdresses are worn in agricultural ceremonies marking planting and harvest cycles.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Senegal, 1982.
Details
- Title
- Bambara Antelope Headdress (Chiwara) III
- Culture
- Bambara
- Origin
- Senegal
- Date
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 126 cm (49.6 in) · W 26 cm (10.2 in)
- Medium
- Wood, bone
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Senegal, 1982.
- Condition
- Surface stable; exposure at projecting elements; inlaid elements retained.
