Mask "mfon ekpo" · Nigeria, Ibibio · ID: 3037169
not available anymore
Size
H: 26 cm
H: 10.2 inch
Description
wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, beautiful modelled face, individual and accurately carved facial features, painted scarifications, slightly dam. (nose), missing parts (backside at the rim), base;
the Ibibio and the Eket developed a more naturalistic style of depicting the human face. Present mask, which fits over the wearers face, belongs to the category of “aestethic” masks, embodying spirits whose physical beauty reflects their high moral standing, in contrast to the fierce, ugly masks “idiok ekpo”.
Expertise
Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, 29.07.2003, Munich
Comparing literature
Lebas, Alain (ed.), Arts of Nigeria in French Private Collections, Milan 2012, ill. 55