Mask · Nigeria, Eket · ID: 3033248
Harald & Ursula Suhr, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada / Germany (1982)
Description
wood, matt greyish brown patina, board-shaped flattened base with geometrical incisions, carved with a round mask face in the centre, dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
Salmons and Nicklin take the formal and ornamental elements as lunar signs, especially because the Eket are used to this imagery, which is expressed by the connection of their female deity or “Big Mother” (“eka abbassi”) to the moon.
The object Mask with the object ID 3033248 was last part of the auction 70th tribal art auction at September 8, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 134 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.
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Comparing literature
Neyt, Francois, L' Art Eket, Paris 1979, ill. 17