An expressive mask from the Ife culture, with an even patina of age, in very good condition and free from damage.

The face is distinctly masculine and features holes wherever a full beard is to be woven in. There are also perforations along the rear edge and at the top of the forehead, at the hairline. As with all such masks, the ears initially appear to be positioned too high. However, this makes sense when the mask is viewed at a steep angle from behind. On this mask, the ears are unusually large and intricately detailed.

As already described in relation to other masks, this type is not suitable for wearing. It is not possible to see out through the slits beneath the eyes from the inside in such a way that one could move about. The unusual idea arises that the observer of a figure wearing this mask is meant to believe that they are being watched by it.

Cp.:
Stefan EISENHOFER: Rätselhafte Meisterwerke. Die Kunst aus Ife, in: Ife, Akan und Benin. Westafrikanische Kunst aus 2000 Jahren, Pforzheim 2000, S. 20/ 21.
Frank WILLETT: Ife. Metropole afrikanischer Kunst, Bergisch Gladbach 1967, S. 33.
Ekpo EYO, Frank Willett: Kunstschätze aus Alt-Nigeria, Mainz 1983, S. 99.