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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Ibibio : Ibibio Colonial Polychrome Dance Mask
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Ibibio Colonial Polychrome Dance Mask - PF.6125
Origin: Nigeria
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
18" (45.7cm) high
Collection: African
Style: Ibibio
Medium: Painted Wood
£9,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
The Ibibio have no centralized government, so
their daily life is controlled by secret societies.
One of the most important, the Ekpo society,
plays an active role in political, judicious, and
religious affairs of a village. They are also in
charge of the ancestor cult and initiation of
young people. For the all-important ritual of
initiation, two basic types of masks are used: the
Idiok, representing wandering spirits, and Mfon
depicting spirits that have reached paradise. An
initiate who wears a mask, such as this dramatic
example, personifies the spirit who has returned
to earth for a brief time. Masks have the
wonderful ability of presenting very human
qualities in a larger than life format. They are
unique in the world of art in their expression of
complex emotions directly related to a particular
event or ceremony. This very delightful mask
shows a Western influence in the facial features,
and in the use of paint that the Europeans
introduced. This mask depicts an unusual
subject: a miniature woman with attached arms
sits atop the head of a European woman. The
“flesh” of the mask has been painted with a pink
flesh tone and her “hair” is highlighted in black
and braided into two pigtails that fall over her
ears. Her open mouth reveals a row of white
teeth framed by her bright red lips. Clearly, this
woman is a European, perhaps imitating a
missionary or the wife of an important merchant.
More likely, she is symbolic of European culture
as a whole, for she appears both attractive and
yet slightly ominous. The miniature woman who
sits upon her head wears a black dress decorated
with red and white dotted highlights. Her hair
has been braided into three central crests, a
typical coiffure indicative of African nobility. She
appears sweet and compassionate as we gaze
into her clearly defined eyes. However, red spots
cover her neck and face, either representing
ceremonial body painting or else the effects of
an ailment that might have been introduced by
Europeans. The mystery of this mask cannot be
properly understood for what an integral part of
an elaborate ceremony invoking the spirits of the
dead has been removed from its ritual context.
Although this mask is but a shell of a significant
religious relic, we can readily appreciate its
striking beauty even if we cannot fully
comprehend its spiritual significance.
- (PF.6125)
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