An exquisite crest mask with a female figure standing atop a platform and flanked by two arcs or horns and coming from either the Anang or Ibibio people of southeastern Nigeria.
Rendered with stylized naturalism and featuring large braided tresses falling to the sides and back of the head. Her outstretched arms are postured with palms facing outward… a gesture similar to that seen in fatting house dolls (uden nyama). Except for the red applied to her lips, the figure is painted entirely white with black used to color her hair and delineate the features of her face and costume around the waist. The palms have alternating diagonal slashes of white and black, another feature common to the dolls.
The rectangular platform is painted entirely red and decorated with an incised horizontal zigzag. The arcs that flank the figure are painted black with white dots at front and back with red on their outer edge.
The binder used in the black and white paints has contracted resulting in a wonderful varigated texture overall. This is an effect that is only achievable over a great amount of time.
Presented on custom base.
AHDRC (African Heritage Documentation & Research Centre) database item #0141141
James Stephenson
Private Collection, Boston, MA (purchased from above, 2017)
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