Label TextThis mask is worn by the Ijaw people on top of the head rather than over the face. It portrays a pangolin, or scaly anteater, and represents a creature from the spirit world that has taken the form of animal. “Masqueraders” would wear this mask during annual ceremonies commemorating water spirits. The mask exemplifies the artist’s ability to distill the animal’s form to its most essential and expressive parts.
Published ReferencesAN UNCOMMON VISION: THE DES MOINES ART CENTER, Des Moines Art Center, 1998, ref. & color ill. p.319, fig.3
Published ReferencesAN UNCOMMON VISION: THE DES MOINES ART CENTER, Des Moines Art Center, 1998, ref. & color ill. p.319, fig.3
Maker
Ijaw, Nigeria
DimensionsOverall: 17 1/2 × 8 × 40 in. (44.5 × 20.3 × 101.6 cm)
Accession Number 1997.73
ClassificationsAfrican/Oceanic/Pre-Columbian
CopyrightPublic Domain
ProvenanceErnest Buchholz, Pacific Palisades, CA; Julian and Irma Brody, Des Moines [purchased from the previous, 1974]; Des Moines Art Center [gift of the previous, 1997]
Images (2)
