Early 20th C. Yoruban Wood Egungun Helmet Mask- Lot 151, Auction 8/27/2018
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Early 20th C. Yoruban Wood Egungun Helmet Mask- Lot 151, Auction 8/27/2018

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West Africa, Nigeria & Benin, Yoruba peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A strking example of a Egungun helmet mask with a round, zoomorphic face, its forehead and cheeks incised as if with ritual scarification. Two huge, outward-facing ears rise from the top of the mask, which has cloth sewn around its base that would have hung down over the head and face when worn. Egungun means masquerade, and masks like this one were made to be worn during the Odun Egungun festival, performed to venerate the ancestors. Size: 6.5″ W x 10.65″ H (16.5 cm x 27.1 cm)

Condition: Small chips and losses to the wood, with a small hole in the forehead. Textile has extensive wear but is still present. Wear to pigment.

Provenance: ex Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired prior to 1970

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