Mask "amawalu" ·  Nigeria, Igbo-Afikpo · ID: 3035731

Description

wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, slit eyes flanking an open-worked forehead-nose-ridge, surmounted by a high towering projection with piercings, painted with dotted pattern, pierced around the rim, min. dam., small missing parts, traces of abrasion;
the Afikpo, an eastern Ibo group who live on the Cross River, comprise a distinctive substyle within the diverse Ibo style range. Their masks, carved with elaborate patterns and painted in bold colors, create a multitude of characters for their popular “okumkpa” masquerade and other dramatizations.

Comparing literature

Roberts, Allen F., The shape of belief, San Francisco 1997, p. 88, ill. 61