African masks
Carved ritual headwear
African masks are ceremonial face coverings created by various cultures across Africa, typically carved from wood and used in rituals, dances, and spiritual practices.
The masks often represent ancestors, spirits, or animals, and their meanings vary widely among different ethnic groups.
African masks profoundly influenced early 20th-century European modernism, particularly Picasso and the Cubists.
In casual usage, the term often refers to decorative reproductions sold as art objects.
- carvingShaping by cutting away
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- ritual danceFormalized sacred choreography
- initiation ritesFormal admission procedures
coming of age · transformation · ancestor worship · protection · geometric patterns · nature spirits · animal spirits · masquerade · wood · ceremonial masks · cosmic balance · metal · secret societies · storytelling · healing practices · spirit possession · spirit world · raffia
- African artifactstribal masks, tribal art, ritual objects, kente cloth, mudcloth
- African craftswood carving, beaded jewelry, kente, tribal jewelry, bronze plaques
- primitivismprimitivism, tribal art, indigenous art, naive art, outsider art
- folk artstribal art, folk opera, folk theater, Celtic knotwork, Navajo weaving
- global decorrugs, boho style, bohemian, wall hangings, ceramic tiles
- masksceremonial masks, N95, ritual masks, tribal masks, traditional masks
African masksVenetian masks
Ornate Italian carnival disguises
Halloween masks · masquerade masks · fashion accessories · theatrical props · surgical masks