Bush cow headdress

19th–mid-20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 341

This unusual headdress featuring a panel densely inscribed with openwork motifs is closely related to sejen (bird) sculptures, including 1979.206.165 and 1979.206.176. At the base, a bush cow is depicted with horns that meet at a point accentuated by a small egret. Associated with the untamed wilderness beyond the community, the bush cow was a symbol of nyama—a powerful life force—and ancestral lineage. Its role as an intermediary between the human and spirit realms is further reinforced by the backdrop of animal symbols. The tortoises at the base of the panel would similarly have been understood as spiritual mediums. The motifs in the top two registers are difficult to decipher and may have been used as visual cues for secretive knowledge held by Poro civic society elders.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Bush cow headdress
Artist: Senufo artist
Date: 19th–mid-20th century
Geography: Côte d'Ivoire, northern Côte d'Ivoire, Bandama River region or Bagoé River region
Culture: Senufo peoples
Medium: Wood, pigment, plant fiber
Dimensions: H. 51 × W. 23 × D. 19 in. (129.5 × 58.4 × 48.3 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1965
Object Number: 1978.412.372
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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