Dance crest "nyamfaik" · Nigeria, Koro · ID: 3034824
Jo de Buck, Brussels, Belgium
Description
wood, polychrome paint, mass, abrus beans, the rims carved with incised ornaments, min. dam., missing parts (abrus beans), slight traces of abrasion, socle;
the art of the Koro is restricted to zoomorphic wickerwork masks with animal horns and abrus beans and abstract dance crests, painted in black and white and decorated with abrus beans as well. The Koro carve these dance crests for the neighbouring Jaba as well. They are called “ngamdak” (“man with bent legs”) or “nyamfaik” (“guardians of the village Faik”) and perform together two times a year.
The object Dance crest “nyamfaik” with the object ID 3034824 was last part of the auction 73rd tribal art auction at May 25, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 257 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,800.
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Comparing literature
Leuzinger, Elsy, Afrikanische Kunstwerke, Kulturen am Niger II, Zürich 1971, p. 197