Babmana People Headdress

The Menil features a unique collection of African art, the headdresses are especially intriguing. Pair of Headdresses created, in the 20th century, by the Bamana people features a sculpture that displays a double stacked animal that can be compared to the single animal of the Antelope Headdress that was also created in the 20th century, but made by the Kurumba people who were located in central Burkina Fako. While the two sculptures differ in subject matter and pigment used, they are similar in respect to how the sculptures were created, such as their use of materials and technique. Therefore, the two sculptures are more alike than different in regards to their composition. Frank Willett’s chapter “Looking at African Sculpture” helps to provide a deeper understanding by providing guidelines when appreciating African art. The Bamana peoples headdress features a small, dark brown, horned four

The sculpture stands about 3 feet high and could be deemed life size for the head and neck of an antelope, however; the head has geometric patterns painted with red, white, yellow, and black pigments. Therefore, the sculpture is more naturalistic in size, but not in color, this use of color could indicate a sense of whimsical liveliness found in nature. The piece is best viewed up close diagonally so the full geometric detail of the work can be viewed. The work does not interact with the space around it, but rather stays contained and compact. One could infer that the purpose of this sculpture was to dress up an individual as an antelope for a ritual perhaps, however; “one can only guess at the artist's motivation” in making this piece, due to lack of information provided (146). Therefore, the Antelope headdress’ function is unknown by simply analyzing the form, but the Willet article helps one gain a deeper understanding, by assisting how to approach that content