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Horse Mask

ca. 1880
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This mask transformed a horse into an animal with sacred power in warfare, hunting, and ritual. Beads cover the surface and horns proclaim supernatural endurance and speed. Red ocher, a ceremonial paint, outlines the beaded panel along the base of the fringe. Ornamented masks similar to this one appear in the muslin and paper drawings of warrior artists. Long after tribes were confined to reservations, women continued to create these masks.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Horse Mask
  • Date: ca. 1880
  • Geography: United States, Northern Plains
  • Culture: Assiniboine
  • Medium: Native-tanned leather, glass beads, pigment, wood, brass tacks, cotton cloth, silk ribbon
  • Dimensions: Length: 18 in. × Width 10 1/2 in. (45.7 × 26.7 cm)
  • Classification: Hide-Costumes
  • Credit Line: Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming (NA 403.215)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing