Illness or deformation mask "idiok ekpo" · Nigeria, Ibibio · ID: 3035802
sold
EUR 330
Provenance
Heinz Kolerski, Fellbach, GermanySize
H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch
Description
wood, slightly encrusted patina, remains of paint, slit-like hole instead of a nose, pierced around the rim, traces of insect caused damage and abrasion;
used to be danced at masquerades of the “ekpo” society, depicting people suffering of untreated leprosy, gangosa, syphilitic lesions, or mucosal leishmaniasis.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Götter - Geister - Ahnen, München 1992, p. 144 f.