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Mask (Dagak)

mid to late 19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 354
Its deeply sculpted features and prominent bulbous nose indicate that this mask was probably made on northern Grande Terre Island in New Caledonia. Like all Kanak masks, the eyes are not pierced. The wearer looked out through the mouth, depicted in a toothsome grin. Masks were worn as part of elaborate costumes that concealed the wearer’s identity. In northern Grande Terre, masks were associated with the lives and authority of chiefs, who wore them at important gatherings. Clad in the elaborate mask and costume, the chief brandished a spear and other weapons,
with which he ceremonially threatened the surrounding crowd. In the mourning rites of chiefs, masked dancers appeared as substitutes for the deceased.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mask (Dagak)
  • Date: mid to late 19th century
  • Geography: New Caledonia, Grande Terre
  • Culture: Kanak people
  • Medium: Wood, paint
  • Dimensions: H. 20 3/4 x W. 5 1/4 x D. 7 1/4 in. (52.7 x 13.3 x 18.4 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Mary R. Morgan Gift; Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller and Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, by exchange, 1983
  • Object Number: 1983.17
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

Audio

Cover Image for 1738. Mask (Dagak)

1738. Mask (Dagak)

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