Deformation mask "idiok ekpo"
Nigeria, Ibibio
sold
EUR 4,000
Provenance
Max Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden (1981)Peter Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden (2001)
Size
H: 32,5 cm
H: 12.8 inch
Description
wood, pigments, encrusted patina, collection number “81122” (Max Willborg)
During mask performances of the “ekpo” society, reincarnated ancestors who were immoral, agitated and wayward are represented in masks called “idiok ekpo”, whose moral ugliness is indicated through the dark surfaces and disfigurations from diseases like “gangosa”, facial paralysis or leprosy.
Publications
Särnstedt, Bo et. al., Före / Before Picasso, Afrikansk konst i svensk ägo / African Art in Swedish Collections, Stockholm 1988, Cat. No.268AHDRC: 0139065