Anthropomorphic mask
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Lot: 289
84th Tribal Art AuctionAnthropomorphic mask
Nigeria, Idoma
Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
---|---|---|
Milton & Shirley Glaser, New York/Woodstock, USA |
H: 8.7 inch | This object is not available anymore. |
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.
Lebas, Alain (ed.), Arts of Nigeria in French Private Collections, Milan 2012, p. 280