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African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
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Serpent Headdress: A-Mantsho-ña-Tshol
Guinée, Boke district, village of Kanfrande; Baga peoples, 20th century
Wood, glass; H. 84 5/8 in. (215 cm)
Provenance: Collected in the village of Kanfrande, by Henri Kamer in 1957; [John J. Klejman, 1968]; Dr. Mandlebaum, Brooklyn, 1968; [Merton Simpson, 1978]; [Henri Kamer, 1978–79]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1979
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In Baga communities such riveting sculptural elements were positioned at the summit of a masquerade ensemble. In that context, they drew the viewer's gaze upward and evoked a mystical serpent known as Nininanka. Emblems of a clan's identity and power, they were integrated into performances that enlivened the community and marked the initiation of young girls and boys into adulthood. This example is impressive for its massive scale and for the bold graphic definition of its surface. It was among six works—including two in the Metropolitan Museum's collection—that Henri Kamer collected in the district of Boke. See one of the Serpent Headdresses from the Met's collection.
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