This is the rating and price for 20Th C. African Ibibio Painted Wood Ekpo Mask

Description : Western Africa, Nigeria, Ibibio peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A wonderful, hand-carved wooden mask with an offset ovoid mouth and bared teeth, a triangular nose, recessed eyes, and a bulging forehead, all painted in dark-brown pigment with areas of red pigment surrounding the mouth. The carved areas between the teeth are colored with chalky white kaolin pigment. Several perforations line the periphery in order to attach a large textile costume. The Ibibio live in southeastern Nigeria on the Niger River Delta. Wealth in this society came largely from the sale of palm oil and the social dominance of certain individuals was reinforced through ritual dances that incorporated masks like this one. Some of these masks, however, also had spiritual significance. By being painted in a dark color (idiok), masks like this example represented the souls of evil people condemned to suffer as ghosts. Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 6.375 W x 9.5 H (16.2 cm x 24.1 cm), 14 H (35.6 cm) on included custom stand. Provenance: private Los Angeles, California USA collection, ex-Serge Schoffel collection, Brussels, Belgium, ex-Lionel Adenis collection, France All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #137349
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Estimate (low-high) : 3000 USD-4500 USD It's free to register now to view!

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