Anthropomorphic face mask "mfon ekpo" · Nigeria, Ibibio-Anang · ID: 3050858
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 12 May 2001, Lot 344
Werner Zintl, Worms, Germany
Description
wood, base
Appearances by the “ekpo” masks are regarded as visits by the ancestral spirits (“ekpo”) represented by the masks.
This mask shows a realistic depiction of a beautiful female face. It is the embodiment of a “beautiful spirit” - “mfon”, which is primarily used for entertainment.
“Ekpo” masks show a contrastive aesthetic of beauty and ugliness. Artists use asymmetry and disproportion in their mask-making to recreate and comment upon the incongruities and contradictions of human existance, while symmetry and elegance convey ideas about morality and essential goodness.
The object Anthropomorphic face mask “mfon ekpo” with the object ID 3050858 was last part of the auction 102nd Auction at April 13, 2024 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 107 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 49