작품 상세

Wood, basketry, and leather. Height: 58 cm; width: 28 cm. This is a characteristic Ekoi/Ejagham cimmerian-type mask, constructed from a conical basketry base upon which rises a wooden head covered with animal hide, treated to obtain a taut, satin-like surface. The imposing headdress, usually composed of scrolled horns, is here crowned with anthropomorphic figures with prominent bellies, reinforcing its symbolic and ceremonial significance. These masks were part of elaborate dance costumes, originally made with large networks of raffia cords and, in more recent periods, with cotton fabrics. Before their ritual use, they were anointed with palm oil and exposed to daylight to soften the leather and give it a suitable sheen. In the Ekoi social context, this type of mask was closely linked to leopard societies, such as the Kpe or Ngbe male societies among the Aro, and was used in initiation ceremonies, funerals of society members, and agricultural rituals. The elaborate headdress alludes to the ceremonial hairstyle of young women known as Moninkim after their periods of ritual seclusion, during which they were taught the Nkim dance. Other dance groups, such as the Ikem, continued to wear these masks even in recent times. From a Belgian private collection (Lenoir), the piece exhibits a patina consistent with its ritual function and is a remarkable example of mid-20th-century Ekoi ceremonial art. International warehouse lot (within the EU). Intra-EU shipping: no import duties apply within the EU. An export permit from the country of origin may be required.