Masks

African art curator Yaëlle Biro and arms and armor curator Dirk Breiding discuss the ways in which masks empower their wearers.

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You let your guard or your mask down depending on the company you're in. It allows a freedom.

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  • Yäelle Biro and Dirk Breiding
    1280851
  • Stage set design for "The Mask," George White's Scandals, New York, 1926  |  1926  |  Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian)  |  Gouache and metallic paint  |  Purchase, The Martin Foundation Inc. Gift, 1967 (67.762.192)
    1280789
  • Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba  |  16th century  |  Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin  |  Ivory, iron, copper (?)  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.323)
    7041024
  • Mask (Buk, Krar, or Kara  |  mid- to late 19th century  |  Torres Strait Islander people, Mabuiag Island, Torres Strait, Australia  |  Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, shell  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1510)
    9891024
  • A Masked Ball in Bohemia  |  ca. 1748  |  Attributed to Andreas Altomonte (Austrian)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1934 (34.83.2)
    1280626
  • A Masked Ball in Bohemia  |  ca. 1748  |  Attributed to Andreas Altomonte (Austrian)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1934 (34.83.2)
    1280679
  • A Masked Ball in Bohemia  |  ca. 1748  |  Attributed to Andreas Altomonte (Austrian)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1934 (34.83.2)
    1280652
  • Bust of a Man  |  1908  |  Pablo Picasso (Spanish)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn, 1995 (1996.403.5)  |  © 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
    7041024
  • Masks of 1831, published in La Caricatur  |  March 8, 1832  |  Honoré Daumier (French)  |  Lithograph  |  Gift of Louise S. Bechtel, 1958 (58.580.1)
    1280977
  • Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City  |  1934, printed 1946  |  Henri Cartier-Bresson (French)  |  Gelatin silver print  |  Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.163)  |  © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum
    1280868
  • Pierrot Laughing  |  1855  |  Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) (French); Adrien Tournachon (French)  |  Coated salted paper print from glass negative  |  Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1998 (1998.57)
    7451024
  • Mask (Le op)  |  mid- to late 19th century  |  Australia, Erub Island, Queensland, Torres Strait  |  Turtle shell, hair, fiber, pigment  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.729)
    7351024
  • [Dan Mask]  |  ca. 1918  |  Charles Sheeler (American)  |  Gelatin silver print  |  Gilman Collection, Purchase, Denise and Andrew Saul Gift, 2005 (2005.100.138)
    7791024
  • "Costumes pour les Bals Masqués: Arlequin, Colombine, Pierrot," Illustration for Harper's Bazaar  |  1922  |  Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian)  |  Ink and gouache  |  Gift of Jane Martin Ginsburg, President of the Martin Foundation, 1967 (67.762.165)
    9001024
  • [Nude with a Mask]  |  ca. 1912  |  E. J. Bellocq (American)  |  Gelatin silver print  |  Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005 (2005.100.130)  |  © The Estate of E.J. Bellocq, Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
    1280903
  • [Nude with a Mask]  |  ca. 1912  |  E. J. Bellocq (American)  |  Gelatin silver print  |  Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005 (2005.100.130)  |  © The Estate of E.J. Bellocq, Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
    1280877
  • Mask  |  late 19th–early 20th century  |  Probably Nissan Island, northern Solomon Islands  |  Barkcloth, wood, bamboo, paint  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1518)
    7921024
  • Headdress  |  19th–20th century  |  Bamana peoples; Mali  |  Wood, metal bands  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1964 (1978.412.435)
    6331024
  • Banda Mask  |  19th–20th century  |  Baga peoples; Guinea  |  Wood, pigment, raffia, and modern textile  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1964 (1978.412.307)
    7671024
  • Mukudj  |  19th–20th century  |  Punu peoples; Gabon  |  Wood, pigment, kaolin  |  Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Fred and Rita Richman Foundation and James Ross Gifts, 2000 (2000.177)
    7121024
  • Close helmet with mask visor  |  ca. 1515  |  Attributed to Kolman Helmschmid (German)  |  Augsburg, Germany  |  Steel, embossed, etched, and gilt  |  Rogers Fund, 1904 (04.3.286a)
    10241024
  • Mask  |  dated 1745  |  Inscribed by Myochin Muneakira (Japanese)  |  Lacquered iron  |  Rogers Fund, 1919 (19.115.2)
    8451024
  • Dance Mask  |  early 20th century  |  Yup'ik, Alaska  |  Wood, paint, feathers  |  The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.1120)
    9061024
  • [Dance Study]  |  ca. 1912  |  Adolph de Meyer (American, born France)  |  Platinum print  |  Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949 (49.55.327)
    1280962
  • The Banquet of the Starved  |  1915  |  James Ensor (Belgian)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876–1967), 1967 (67.187.68)  |  © 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SABAM, Brussels
    12801007
  • The Meeting  |  probably 1746  |  Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) (Italian, Venetian)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1936 (36.16)
    8281024
  • The Meeting  |  probably 1746  |  Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) (Italian, Venetian)  |  Oil on canvas  |  Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1936 (36.16)
    11271024
  • Harlequin and Harlequina  |  ca. 1759  |  German; Nymphenburg  |  Hard-paste porcelain  |  The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973 (1974.356.524,.525)
    12431024
  • Yäelle Biro and Dirk Breiding
    1280851
  • My name is Yäelle Biro. I'm a curator for African art. And my name is Dirk Breiding. I'm a curator in the department of Arms and Armor. Biro: And we're here to speak about "Masks."

  • Masks are universal. Everybody can relate to them. They're faces

  • they look at you. On a book cover, you want to have

  • faces, because that's what people are attracted to. With masks, it's a little bit of the same idea.

  • Breiding: As I grew up in Germany, the carnival season is the time when you dress up and

  • you wear masks. I always was fascinated by the

  • possibility to take on another personality. As you grow older, as a teenager, you

  • begin to realize that the face, the human face in itself is a mask.

  • Biro: It's true that we, we do wear masks all the time. And at work, I have hyperactive eyebrows, and if I

  • start talking everybody just knows exactly what I'm thinking at any given moment. Breiding: You can hide behind

  • it, when you tell a little lie or something. You put a different face on, than what you're actually thinking. At the same time, it's also a means to convey things, when you're very happy, when you're extremely sad. Even

  • though it's an illusion that you can read someone's face, it's still somewhat comforting to look into another human face when you're meeting them, seeing them.

  • Biro: This idea of hiding and revealing, I find very interesting. Breiding: You let your guard or your mask down

  • depending on the company you're in. It allows a freedom.

  • You can watch other people without them watching you. People can't read you, so they have no idea

  • what you're up to, whether good or bad. And it is an incredible feeling of empowerment. Biro: Wearing a mask you become a

  • concept, something completely different, an animal, something otherworldly. You know

  • even one mask can change with the costume, with the music, with the dance.

  • When you look at this static mask in the galleries, you have to imagine that it was just constantly in movement. Colors and geometric patterns moving around.

  • They remain faces, but in each of these places, maybe they lose a little part of themselves at the same time, so

  • their aesthetics themselves evolve with the time and with each different owner.

  • Breiding: Some people looking at masks in the galleries have no idea about the ritual context. There's always a twofold approach

  • to a mask. How you encounter a mask, and how you see or imagine yourself wearing it. Liberty and

  • power are very closely connected. The mask gives you the power to be free and do what you like.

  • Do things that you know other people might not expect of you

  • much more than when you're bound to your own personality. An obvious connection with love and

  • erotic behavior and sex comes in. Biro: Masquerades are clearly the places where anything can happen.

  • Breiding: That's when it becomes more playful. Biro: People are without any bounds anymore. They just go out and get drunk and dance and

  • and anything can happen.

  • 67.762.192
    Stage set design for "The Mask," George White's Scandals, New York, 1926, 1926, Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian), Gouache and metallic paint Purchase, The Martin Foundation Inc. Gift, 1967 (67.762.192)
  • 1978.412.323
    Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, 16th century, Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin, Ivory, iron, copper (?) The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.323)
  • 1978.412.1510
    Mask (Buk, Krar, or Kara, mid- to late 19th century, Torres Strait Islander people, Mabuiag Island, Torres Strait, Australia, Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, shell The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1510)
  • 34.83.2
    A Masked Ball in Bohemia, ca. 1748, Attributed to Andreas Altomonte (Austrian), Oil on canvas Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1934 (34.83.2)
  • 1996.403.5
    Bust of a Man, 1908, Pablo Picasso (Spanish), Oil on canvas Bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn, 1995 (1996.403.5) © 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • 58.580.1
    Masks of 1831, published in La Caricatur, March 8, 1832, Honoré Daumier (French), Lithograph Gift of Louise S. Bechtel, 1958 (58.580.1)
  • 1987.1100.163
    Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City, 1934, printed 1946, Henri Cartier-Bresson (French), Gelatin silver print Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.163) © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum
  • 1998.57
    Pierrot Laughing, 1855, Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) (French); Adrien Tournachon (French), Coated salted paper print from glass negative Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1998 (1998.57)
  • 1978.412.729
    Mask (Le op), mid- to late 19th century, Australia, Erub Island, Queensland, Torres Strait, Turtle shell, hair, fiber, pigment The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.729)
  • 2005.100.138
    [Dan Mask], ca. 1918, Charles Sheeler (American), Gelatin silver print Gilman Collection, Purchase, Denise and Andrew Saul Gift, 2005 (2005.100.138)
  • 67.762.165
    "Costumes pour les Bals Masqués: Arlequin, Colombine, Pierrot," Illustration for Harper's Bazaar, 1922, Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian), Ink and gouache Gift of Jane Martin Ginsburg, President of the Martin Foundation, 1967 (67.762.165)
  • 2005.100.130
    [Nude with a Mask], ca. 1912, E. J. Bellocq (American), Gelatin silver print Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005 (2005.100.130) © The Estate of E.J. Bellocq, Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
  • 1978.412.1518
    Mask, late 19th–early 20th century, Probably Nissan Island, northern Solomon Islands, Barkcloth, wood, bamboo, paint The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1518)
  • 1978.412.435
    Headdress, 19th–20th century, Bamana peoples; Mali, Wood, metal bands The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1964 (1978.412.435)
  • 1978.412.307
    Banda Mask, 19th–20th century, Baga peoples; Guinea, Wood, pigment, raffia, and modern textile The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1964 (1978.412.307)
  • 2000.177
    Mukudj, 19th–20th century, Punu peoples; Gabon, Wood, pigment, kaolin Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Fred and Rita Richman Foundation and James Ross Gifts, 2000 (2000.177)
  • 04.3.286a
    Close helmet with mask visor, ca. 1515, Attributed to Kolman Helmschmid (German), Augsburg, Germany, Steel, embossed, etched, and gilt Rogers Fund, 1904 (04.3.286a)
  • 19.115.2
    Mask, dated 1745, Inscribed by Myochin Muneakira (Japanese), Lacquered iron Rogers Fund, 1919 (19.115.2)
  • 1979.206.1120
    Dance Mask, early 20th century, Yup'ik, Alaska, Wood, paint, feathers The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.1120)
  • 49.55.327
    [Dance Study], ca. 1912, Adolph de Meyer (American, born France), Platinum print Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949 (49.55.327)
  • 67.187.68
    The Banquet of the Starved, 1915, James Ensor (Belgian), Oil on canvas Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876–1967), 1967 (67.187.68) © 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SABAM, Brussels
  • 36.16
    The Meeting, probably 1746, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) (Italian, Venetian), Oil on canvas Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1936 (36.16)
  • 1974.356.524,.525
    Harlequin and Harlequina, ca. 1759, German; Nymphenburg, Hard-paste porcelain The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973 (1974.356.524,.525)
  • Stage set design for "The Mask," George White's Scandals, New York, 1926, 1926, Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian), Gouache and metallic paint Purchase, The Martin Foundation Inc. Gift, 1967 (67.762.192)
    Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, 16th century, Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin, Ivory, iron, copper (?) The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.323)
    Mask (Buk, Krar, or Kara, mid- to late 19th century, Torres Strait Islander people, Mabuiag Island, Torres Strait, Australia, Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, shell The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1510)
    A Masked Ball in Bohemia, ca. 1748, Attributed to Andreas Altomonte (Austrian), Oil on canvas Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1934 (34.83.2)
    Bust of a Man, 1908, Pablo Picasso (Spanish), Oil on canvas Bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn, 1995 (1996.403.5) © 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
    Masks of 1831, published in La Caricatur, March 8, 1832, Honoré Daumier (French), Lithograph Gift of Louise S. Bechtel, 1958 (58.580.1)
    Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City, 1934, printed 1946, Henri Cartier-Bresson (French), Gelatin silver print Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.163) © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum
    Pierrot Laughing, 1855, Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) (French); Adrien Tournachon (French), Coated salted paper print from glass negative Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1998 (1998.57)
    Mask (Le op), mid- to late 19th century, Australia, Erub Island, Queensland, Torres Strait, Turtle shell, hair, fiber, pigment The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.729)
    [Dan Mask], ca. 1918, Charles Sheeler (American), Gelatin silver print Gilman Collection, Purchase, Denise and Andrew Saul Gift, 2005 (2005.100.138)
    "Costumes pour les Bals Masqués: Arlequin, Colombine, Pierrot," Illustration for Harper's Bazaar, 1922, Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian), Ink and gouache Gift of Jane Martin Ginsburg, President of the Martin Foundation, 1967 (67.762.165)
    [Nude with a Mask], ca. 1912, E. J. Bellocq (American), Gelatin silver print Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005 (2005.100.130) © The Estate of E.J. Bellocq, Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
    Mask, late 19th–early 20th century, Probably Nissan Island, northern Solomon Islands, Barkcloth, wood, bamboo, paint The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1518)
    Headdress, 19th–20th century, Bamana peoples; Mali, Wood, metal bands The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1964 (1978.412.435)
    Banda Mask, 19th–20th century, Baga peoples; Guinea, Wood, pigment, raffia, and modern textile The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1964 (1978.412.307)
    Mukudj, 19th–20th century, Punu peoples; Gabon, Wood, pigment, kaolin Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Fred and Rita Richman Foundation and James Ross Gifts, 2000 (2000.177)
    Close helmet with mask visor, ca. 1515, Attributed to Kolman Helmschmid (German), Augsburg, Germany, Steel, embossed, etched, and gilt Rogers Fund, 1904 (04.3.286a)
    Mask, dated 1745, Inscribed by Myochin Muneakira (Japanese), Lacquered iron Rogers Fund, 1919 (19.115.2)
    Dance Mask, early 20th century, Yup'ik, Alaska, Wood, paint, feathers The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.1120)
    [Dance Study], ca. 1912, Adolph de Meyer (American, born France), Platinum print Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949 (49.55.327)
    The Banquet of the Starved, 1915, James Ensor (Belgian), Oil on canvas Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876–1967), 1967 (67.187.68) © 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SABAM, Brussels
    The Meeting, probably 1746, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) (Italian, Venetian), Oil on canvas Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1936 (36.16)
    Harlequin and Harlequina, ca. 1759, German; Nymphenburg, Hard-paste porcelain The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973 (1974.356.524,.525)
    8000–2000 B.C.
    2000–1000 B.C.
    1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
    1–500 A.D.
    500–1000 A.D.
    1000–1400 A.D.
    1400–1600 A.D.
    1600–1800 A.D.
    1800–1900 A.D.
    1900–Present

    Works of art in order of appearance

    Last Updated: June 22, 2015. Not all works of art in the Museum's collection may be on view on a particular day. For the most accurate location information, please check this page on the day of your visit.

    Stage set design for "The Mask," George White's Scandals, New York, 1926
    1926
    Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian)
    Gouache and metallic paint
    Purchase, The Martin Foundation Inc. Gift, 1967 (67.762.192)
    Not on view
    Drawings and PrintsSecond Floor
    Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba
    16th century
    Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
    Ivory, iron, copper (?)
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.323)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    Mask (Buk, Krar, or Kara
    mid- to late 19th century
    Torres Strait Islander people, Mabuiag Island, Torres Strait, Australia
    Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, shell
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1510)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    A Masked Ball in Bohemia
    ca. 1748
    Attributed to Andreas Altomonte (Austrian)
    Oil on canvas
    Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1934 (34.83.2)
    Not on view
    European PaintingsSecond Floor
    Bust of a Man
    1908
    Pablo Picasso (Spanish)
    Oil on canvas
    Bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn, 1995 (1996.403.5)
    © 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
    Not on view
    Modern and Contemporary ArtSecond Floor
    Masks of 1831, published in La Caricatur
    March 8, 1832
    Honoré Daumier (French)
    Lithograph
    Gift of Louise S. Bechtel, 1958 (58.580.1)
    Not on view
    Drawings and PrintsSecond Floor
    Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City
    1934, printed 1946
    Henri Cartier-Bresson (French)
    Gelatin silver print
    Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.163)
    © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum
    Not on view
    PhotographsSecond Floor
    Pierrot Laughing
    1855
    Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) (French); Adrien Tournachon (French)
    Coated salted paper print from glass negative
    Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1998 (1998.57)
    Not on view
    PhotographsSecond Floor
    Mask (Le op)
    mid- to late 19th century
    Australia, Erub Island, Queensland, Torres Strait
    Turtle shell, hair, fiber, pigment
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.729)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    [Dan Mask]
    ca. 1918
    Charles Sheeler (American)
    Gelatin silver print
    Gilman Collection, Purchase, Denise and Andrew Saul Gift, 2005 (2005.100.138)
    Not on view
    PhotographsSecond Floor
    "Costumes pour les Bals Masqués: Arlequin, Colombine, Pierrot," Illustration for Harper's Bazaar
    1922
    Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (Russian)
    Ink and gouache
    Gift of Jane Martin Ginsburg, President of the Martin Foundation, 1967 (67.762.165)
    Not on view
    Drawings and PrintsSecond Floor
    [Nude with a Mask]
    ca. 1912
    E. J. Bellocq (American)
    Gelatin silver print
    Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005 (2005.100.130)
    © The Estate of E.J. Bellocq, Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
    Not on view
    PhotographsSecond Floor
    Mask
    late 19th–early 20th century
    Probably Nissan Island, northern Solomon Islands
    Barkcloth, wood, bamboo, paint
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967 (1978.412.1518)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    Headdress
    19th–20th century
    Bamana peoples; Mali
    Wood, metal bands
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1964 (1978.412.435)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    Banda Mask
    19th–20th century
    Baga peoples; Guinea
    Wood, pigment, raffia, and modern textile
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1964 (1978.412.307)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    Mukudj
    19th–20th century
    Punu peoples; Gabon
    Wood, pigment, kaolin
    Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Fred and Rita Richman Foundation and James Ross Gifts, 2000 (2000.177)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    Close helmet with mask visor
    ca. 1515
    Attributed to Kolman Helmschmid (German)
    Augsburg, Germany
    Steel, embossed, etched, and gilt
    Rogers Fund, 1904 (04.3.286a)
    Not on view
    Arms and ArmorFirst Floor
    Mask
    dated 1745
    Inscribed by Myochin Muneakira (Japanese)
    Lacquered iron
    Rogers Fund, 1919 (19.115.2)
    Not on view
    Arms and ArmorFirst Floor
    Dance Mask
    early 20th century
    Yup'ik, Alaska
    Wood, paint, feathers
    The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.1120)
    Not on view
    Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the AmericasFirst Floor
    [Dance Study]
    ca. 1912
    Adolph de Meyer (American, born France)
    Platinum print
    Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949 (49.55.327)
    Not on view
    PhotographsSecond Floor
    The Banquet of the Starved
    1915
    James Ensor (Belgian)
    Oil on canvas
    Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876–1967), 1967 (67.187.68)
    © 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SABAM, Brussels
    Not on view
    Modern and Contemporary ArtSecond Floor
    The Meeting
    probably 1746
    Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) (Italian, Venetian)
    Oil on canvas
    Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1936 (36.16)
    Not on view
    European PaintingsSecond Floor
    Harlequin and Harlequina
    ca. 1759
    German; Nymphenburg
    Hard-paste porcelain
    The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973 (1974.356.524,.525)
    Not on view
    European Sculpture and Decorative ArtsFirst Floor

    © 2011 The Metropolitan Museum of Art