Rare anthropomorphic face mask · Nigeria, Igbo, Ezzamgbo · ID: 3052060
Werner & Lotte Krause, Hamburg, Germany (1985)
Description
leather, vegetal fibers, fabric, wool, collection no. “318”, plinth
This unusual mask is made entirely of animal skin, which is also used to form the eyes, mouth and nose and cut out the teeth. Woven cords of plant fibres cover the entire facial plane in a “wild arrangement” and also form the high rising coiffure. Cord strings made of fabric strips and a knitted collar complement the mask.
A mask of the Ezzamgbo type is published in Cole & Aniakor, Igbo Arts, 1984, p. 146, fig. 256 (AHDRC 0094598). For another Ezzamgbo mask, ex “Collection de Monsieur P.”, 1979, see AHDRC 0094599. Apart from these two masks, no other comparable examples could be found.
The object Rare anthropomorphic face mask with the object ID 3052060 was part of the auction Auction 105 on November 15, 2025. The object with the lot number 207 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,200 with an asking price of EUR 2,000.
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