Skip Navigation

Collection Menu
Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg)
Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg)
Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_threequarter_left_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_threequarter_left_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_threequarter_right_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_threequarter_right_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_left_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_left_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_right_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_right_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail04_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail04_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail05_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail05_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail03_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail03_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail02_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail02_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail06_PS9.jpg)

Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_detail06_PS9.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)

Arts of Africa

The Mwaash aMbooy mask personifies Wóót, mythical ancestor of the Kuba peoples. Kings and dancers performed this mask during initiations and funerals. One performance told the story of Wóót’s role in the Kuba kingdom's founding and his ties to its first ruler. Mwaash aMbooy’s physical features underscore an ideal Kuba leader’s traits. Its monkey-fur beard symbolizes wisdom. The cowrie shells were a royal privilege and a sign of wealth. They also reference how Wóót stole the creator god’s bead-and-cowrie-covered basket of knowledge. Its costume evoked royal regalia. While Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, on view nearby, turned an individual into an icon, the Wóót mask connected a Kuba ruler to his dynastic past.
CULTURE Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist
MEDIUM Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers
  • Place Made: Kasaï Province (former Kasaï-Occidental Province), Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • DATES late 19th or early 20th century
    DIMENSIONS 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm) mount: 23 × 18 × 16 in. (58.4 × 45.7 × 40.6 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
    ACCESSION NUMBER 22.1582
    CREDIT LINE Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
    PROVENANCE Prior to 1922, provenance not yet documented; by 1922, acquired by François Poncelet of Brussels, Belgium; 1922, purchased in Brussels from François Poncelet by Stewart Culin for the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Mask of thin parchment, painted. Elaborately trimmed with shell and hair decoration. Shell eyes. The surface is highly decorative, composed of intricately painted geometric designs and geometrically arranged cowrie shells and beads. One feature, a long strip of beaded decoration extending from the bridge of the nose to the chin is present. Emphasis placed on 2 dimensional surface quality and elaborate polychromy. Condition: Headdress worn and torn.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. Mask (Mwaash aMbooy), late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg., 2019
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    Kuba (Bushoong subgroup) artist. <em>Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Rawhide, paint, plant fibers, textile, cowrie shells, glass, wood, monkey pelt, feathers, 22 x 20 x 18 in. (55.9 x 50.8 x 45.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.1582. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 22.1582_overall_PS9.jpg)

    TAGS

    Mask
    african
    face
    face mask
    hair
    shells
    feathers
    beads
    Kuba Bushoong
    Nyeem
    Woot
    Nyimi
    Kasai
    African mask
    Brooklyn Icons

    TAGS

    Mask
    african
    face
    face mask
    hair
    shells
    feathers
    beads
    Kuba Bushoong
    Nyeem
    Woot
    Nyimi
    Kasai
    African mask
    Brooklyn Icons

    RELATED OBJECTS

    Figure of a Standing Female (Pindi) Headrest Ceremonial seat (ngundja) Ceremonial Staff (Kibango) Ceremonial Staff (Kibango) Stool Mask for the Okuyi Society (Mukudj) Mask (Pwoom Itok) Qur’anic Writing Board Stool Figure of a Male Stilt Dancer Holding Knife and Horn Headrest Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe) Divination Die (Hakata) Raffia Band Figure of Mother and Child (Phemba) Figure of Mother and Child (Phemba) Mask Kuma Mask Mask (Kple-Kple) Male Figure with Strips of Hide (Nkisi) Axe Blade Statue of Ity-sen Grave Marker (Tumba) Mask for Okuyi Society (Mukudj) Mask Tshimwana Mask Mask (Mwana Pwo) Funerary Headdress (Tugunga) Bwoom Mask Maiden Spirit Helmet Mask (Agbogho Mmwo) Mblo Portrait Mask Mancala Game Board Cup Object, Used and Designated as Money Carved Paint Box with Cover Cosmetic Box Seated Female Figure Holding Lidded Receptacle (Mboko) Power Figure (Nkishi) Standing Male Figure Hemba Mask Standing Figure Raffia Cloth Single Head Goblet (Mbwoongntey) Mask (Nyanga) Male Commemorative Figure (Misi)