Zoomorphic mask "mangam"

Nigéria, Mama · 3040872

---

Description

wood, red patina, dark paint remains, of characteristic stylized form with projecting horns describing a round form and open mouth, rep. (right horn tip), fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
the Mama use wooden dance crests carved as stylized bushcows or antelopes in the “mangam” masquerade, when they enlisted the aid of the ancestral spirits to ensure a successful harvest. The dancers wear these masks, while their whole body is covered by a garment of grass.

---

Littérature comparée

Fagg, William & Herbert List, Bildwerke aus Nigeria, München 1963, ill. 137

---