On view
African Art
Ikhoko pendant mask,
20th century, before 1975
Artist unrecorded
Pende
y1992-55
The honey-colored, glossy surfaces and smooth features of these miniature ivory masks suggest the intimacy of their use as jewelry. The color of the ivory deepened through extended contact with the wearer’s body oils, sweat, and red cosmetic camwood powder. While the warm tones are prized by collectors, Pende owners sought to preserve the whiteness of the ivory by scrubbing the pendants with sand. Over time, this mild abrasive could blur the masks’ features, as it did on these ivory masks.
More Context
<p>These miniature ivory masks were worn as jewelry, and their honey-colored, glossy surfaces and smooth features suggest histories of personal use and wear. Extended contact with the wearer’s body oils, sweat, and the red body cosmetic camwood deepened the color of the ivory. While the warm tones are prized by Western collectors, Pende owners sought to preserve the whiteness of the ivory by scrubbing the pendants with sand. Over time, this mild abrasive blurred the mask’s features, as seen on the eyelids, nose, mouth, and hairdo of the pendant on the left. </p>
Information
Title
Ikhoko pendant mask
Dates
20th century, before 1975
Maker
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
4.2 × 2.9 × 2 cm (1 5/8 × 1 1/8 × 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Perry E. H. Smith, Class of 1957
Object Number
y1992-55
Place Made
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Type
Materials
Techniques
Subject
Purchased by Perry E.H. Smith (1936?-2019) in Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) between 1971 and circa 1975; donated to the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, 1992.
- "Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1992," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 52, no. 1 (1993): p. 36-83., p. 54
- "Selected checklist of objects in the collection of African art," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 58, no. 1/2 (1999): p. 77–83., p. 79
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 288 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 340
