Possibly Haida. Talking Man Mask, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 11 13/16 x 9 1/2 in. (30 x 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of M. C. Eaton, 58.181.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.181.4.jpg)
Possibly Haida. Talking Man Mask, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 11 13/16 x 9 1/2 in. (30 x 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of M. C. Eaton, 58.181.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.181.4_acetate_bw.jpg)
Talking Man Mask
Arts of the Americas
CULTURE
Possibly Haida
MEDIUM
Wood, pigment
DATES
late 19th century
DIMENSIONS
11 13/16 x 9 1/2 in. (30 x 24.1 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER
58.181.4
CREDIT LINE
Gift of M. C. Eaton
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
This deeply carved mask is painted with brown, red, green and white. It has painted eyebrows and teeth. The jaw is loose and could be manipulated in a dance performance to indicate a talking mask. This mask is identified as representing an orator, the individual who would recount the histories that were dramatized by Winter Dance performers. The lower jaw, articulated to produce a more lifelike effect, would be moved to imitate the actions of the performer as he spoke. These types of masks were once common among many Northwest Coast tribes and each had their own stories to tell. The deeply carved and exaggerated features of this image are more typical of Heiltsuk that Haida style but the mask could have come from either nation. The otherworldly appearance of the mask would have been attenuated by the flickering light and shadows of the fire lit performance.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Possibly Haida. Talking Man Mask, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 11 13/16 x 9 1/2 in. (30 x 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of M. C. Eaton, 58.181.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.181.4.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 58.181.4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"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.
