Nigeria, Idoma peoples, early 20th century CE. This is a really fun mask, one of my favorite pieces in the auction. It is a handcarved, painted wood roughly cylindrical head with an animal perched atop it -- my best guesses for animal type are mongoose, civet, or honey badger. The face has a pronounced, down-pointed nose and gritted teeth; there are decorations made from nails and woven mat around the base to ease wearing it. A mask like this would have been placed atop the head and worn alongside a costume that concealed the body (and the identity of the wearer). This mask and others like it are carved from softwood that is chosen specifically because of both its physical and spiritual properties. The process of carving is ritualized and comprises many steps that are learned through apprenticeship. When this mask was made, the Idoma were just coming into contact with the British military patrols that began around 1900, and the maker would have been a yam farmer and part-time mask maker who lived in the first generation under British colonial rule. Size: 7.25" W x 13" H (18.4 cm x 33 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL acquired prior to 1970

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#113041

Expected wear, but really nice shape and paint still very clear.