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Ram Mask (Bolo)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Bolo masks are primarily danced for entertainment during communal occasions like funerals, male initiations, and harvest celebrations. Comprising both animal and human features, the mask––always worn by a male dancer––refers to the cultural significance of the ram, an animal associated with male aggression across sub-Saharan Africa.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineRam Mask (Bolo), possibly early 1900s. Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, Bobo-style blacksmith-carver. Wood and paint; overall: 45 x 36 x 36 cm (17 11/16 x 14 3/16 x 14 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2016.56
