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Mask (Lor [?])

late 19th–early 20th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 354
The masks of the Duke of York Islands, between New Britain and New Ireland, are part of a broader masking tradition that originally extended from southern New Ireland to the Tolai people of northern New Britain. Known by variants of the name lor, which means skull in Tolai, the masks have white faces with mouths that often appear to be smiling. The significance of lor masks in the Duke of York Islands is uncertain, but they likely played similar roles to those of Tolai, where the tradition persists. Today, Tolai lor masks are worn by performers in a dance called tambaran kakao (spirit that crawls). The masks reportedly represent a spirit that comes to a local leader in dreams and reveals the details of dance paraphernalia and choreography.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mask (Lor [?])
  • Date: late 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Papua New Guinea, New Britain
  • Culture: New Britain
  • Medium: Wood, paint, fiber
  • Dimensions: H. 26 × W. 13 × D. 4 in. (66 × 33 × 10.2 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967
  • Object Number: 1978.412.1514
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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