A Yoruba Helmet Mask, epa...

Description

A Yoruba Helmet Mask, epa
Efon-Alyae village, Ekiti state, Nigeria, 19th to mid-20th century

Possibly carved by a member of the Adeshina family of carvers. Powerfully carved wood with dark brown and black pigments. This one represents a revered Queen Mother presenting a spherical lidded bowl in her hands. In very good condition, appropriate for its age, origin, and mediums, a metal sheet patch on the back of her coiffure.

Epa headdress masks perform in biannual festivals held in Yorubaland. During the Epa festival the history of a town is celebrated with the display of numerous masks. Each headdress is a memorial to the ancestors of the family that owns it. The lower, helmet-shaped portion of the mask depicts Eshu, the god who mediates between humans and other gods, while the superstructure depicts a particular individual, carved in a more naturalistic style.

Provenance:
Property from the Private Collection of Dr. John Ross, Sr.

Height: 39 inches

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