wooden masks
Carved theatrical disguises
Wooden masks are face coverings carved from wood, traditionally used in rituals, ceremonies, theater, and cultural celebrations across many societies worldwide.
African, Asian, and Indigenous American traditions have particularly rich mask-carving histories, with masks representing spirits, ancestors, deities, or archetypal characters.
Today wooden masks also function as decorative art objects and collectibles.
The museum's collection of wooden masks from West Africa spans three centuries.
- BalineseIndonesian island natives
- AfricanOf that southern continent
- folk artTraditional community-made creativity
- folk traditionCommunity customs across generations
- sculpturalRelating to carved forms
Inuit · Guatemala · transformative · spiritual · ceremonial · ritual dance · Congo Basin · Mayan · initiation · shamanic · ancestral · spirit world · festival · harvest festival · Native American · tribal · secret society · painted
- African antiquitiesceremonial masks, ivory carvings, brass plaques, bronze sculptures, terracotta figures
- masksceremonial masks, N95, ritual masks, tribal masks, traditional masks
- folk craftsbasketry, basket weaving, quilting, quilts, embroidery
- Folk Woodcraftcarved furniture, ceremonial masks, festival masks, altarpieces, crucifixes
- West African culturekente cloth, fufu, voodoo, griots, talking drums
- woodcarvingchisel, gouge, carving knives, relief carvings, duck decoys
wooden maskspaper masks
Lightweight facial disguises
latex masks · leather masks · gold masks · papier-mâché masks
wooden masksbare face