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Kòmò Helmet Mask (Kòmòkun)

19th–mid-20th century
Not on view
Kòmò, a West African power association, promotes the well-being of the community and protects individuals from harm. Kòmò leaders invest significant resources in masks and other arts, including helmet masks that combine horizontal wooden sculptures of intimidating beasts with evocative animal matter. The masks are insignia of the profound knowledge and great power that the organization engenders. Kòmò leaders construct helmet masks and other works to assert their authority, deter criminals, and combat malevolent forces that threaten communities.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Kòmò Helmet Mask (Kòmòkun)
  • Date: 19th–mid-20th century
  • Geography: Guinea or Mali or Burkina Faso or Côte d'Ivoire
  • Culture: Komo or Koma Power Association
  • Medium: Wood, encrustation, quills, feathers, horns, bird skull
  • Dimensions: H. 10 x W. 9 1/8 x D. 33 7/16 in. (25.4 x 23.2 x 85 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morton Lipkin, 1961
  • Object Number: 1978.412.426
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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Banda mask, Nalu artist, Wood, paint, Nalu peoples
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Kòmò Helmet Mask (Kòmòkun), Wood, bird skull, porcupine quills, horns, nails, cotton, sacrificial material, Komo or Koma Power Association
Kòmò Helmet Mask (Kòmòkun)
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19th–mid-20th century
Kòmòkun or kònòkun (head of Kòmò or Kònò) helmet mask, Bamana or Senufo blacksmith, Wood, bird skull, porcupine quills, horns, cotton cords, iron, plant fiber, applied organic materials, Bamana or Senufo peoples
Kòmòkun or kònòkun (head of Kòmò or Kònò) helmet mask
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19th–mid-20th century
a-Bil-ña-Tshol (medicine canoe) headdress, Baga artist, Wood, pigment, Baga peoples
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late 19th–first half of 20th century

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