Mask of the "ekpo" society ·  Nigeria, Bini · ID: 3038296

Description

wood, brown patina, indigoblue and res pigment, the facial plane coated with layers of white chalk-based pigment, the patina has acquired an encrusted, thickened look, indicating extensive reuse, headband of carved beads and floral ornaments on both sides, forehead tattoo with glass inlay, collection numbers backside: “AF 20”, “1971.696” und “517 OA-G”, slightly dam., minor crack (coiffure), abrasion of paint, base;
according to oral tradition, the “ekpo” cult has been introduced by Agboghidi, the village chief of Ugo, a village to the east of Benin city, from the 16th to the middle of the 18th century considered to be the center of political opposition to the central government.

Comparing literature

Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 106