Masque anthropomorphe ·  Nigéria, Idoma · ID: 3041328

Description

wood, facial plane whitened with kaolin, black colour accents, coiffure with three horn-like projections on the forehead, inserted wooden teeth, raised scarification marks, drilled holes around the rim with fabric border, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, rep. (two of the horn-like projections broken), base;
a very comparable object can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Masks whitened with kaolin are common features of Idoma art. They are used in establishing a link with the afterlife and the spirit world. It appears these masks were used during funerals.

Littérature comparée

Lebas, Alain (ed.), Arts of Nigeria in French Private Collections, Milan 2012, p. 280