Deformation mask "idiok ekpo" · Nigeria, Ibibio · ID: 3037328
Vossenaar, Theodor, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Lambert Tegenbosch, Heusden, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Description
wood, dark brown patina, white pigment and yellow ochre, grotesque face without nose, broad mouth and large deeply hollowed eyes, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, traces of insect caused damage backside at the rim, abrasion of paint;
during mask performances, reincarnated ancestors who were immoral, agitated, and wayward are represented in masks called “idiok ekpo”, whose moral ugliness is indicated by the dark surfaces and disfigurations from diseases like gangosa, facial paralysis, tumours, and harelips. Gangosa is designated as “no-nose” by English-speaking Ibibio. It is characterized by destruction of the nose and occurs in later stages of yaws and endemic syphilis (non-venereal syphilis). Another type of nasal deformity in Ibibio masks is the so-called “ibuo akwanga” or “twisted” nose.
The object Deformation mask “idiok ekpo” with the object ID 3037328 was last part of the auction 78th tribal art auction at October 18, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 290 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,200.
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Publications
Vossenaar, T., Ziektemaskers uit West Afrika, Eindhoven 1989, p. 22, ill. 14