Idiok Ekpo, Dance Mask
Ibibio, Eastern Nigeria
19th-early 20th c
Provenance: Newark Museum of Art, New Jersey, Dr. Robert Sayer, gifted to the above in 1978. Museum inv. Numbers painted in white and red, X85.27 and 78.406
The Ibibio, neighbors of the Igbo, live between the Niger River delta and the Cross River region. The Ibibio use masks in annual ceremonies for social control and ancestor worship. This Mask’s facial features are naturalistic- thick, everted lips, large eyes, high forehead, and dark color that the Ibibio associate with malevolent spirits. Natural erosion of the wood is visible on the back of the mask, while the front exhibits a deep and heavily encrusted surface from continued use and storage in dark huts.
Idiok Ekpo, Dance Mask
Ibibio, Eastern Nigeria
19th-early 20th c
Provenance: Newark Museum of Art, New Jersey, Dr. Robert Sayer, gifted to the above in 1978. Museum inv. Numbers painted in white and red, X85.27 and 78.406
The Ibibio, neighbors of the Igbo, live between the Niger River delta and the Cross River region. The Ibibio use masks in annual ceremonies for social control and ancestor worship. This Mask’s facial features are naturalistic- thick, everted lips, large eyes, high forehead, and dark color that the Ibibio associate with malevolent spirits. Natural erosion of the wood is visible on the back of the mask, while the front exhibits a deep and heavily encrusted surface from continued use and storage in dark huts.