© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsAfrican Art

Helmet Mask with Female Half-Figure

Place CreatedNigeria, Africa

CultureEfik

Datemid 20th Century

MediumWood, paint, cloth

Credit LineGift of William S. Arnett

Dimensions25 9/16 x 10 5/8 x 9 7/16 in. (65 x 27 x 24 cm)

Object number1994.003.011

Label TextLarge helmet masks with various kinds of superstructures depicting human beings are common in the Cross River region and in the town of Ogoja to the north of the Middle Cross River. However, this strikingly naturalistic portrayal of a woman staring straight ahead with her hands folded atop the mask's head seems outside any known canon of Cross River masks. Of uncertain age but not young, she wears modern clothing: a sleeveless, v-neck jersey and a red cloth headband. The fleshy face and closed eyes of the helmet mask contrast sharply with the undernourished woman with her penetrating stare. In the Cross River region, the rivalry between masking associations gave artists incentives to generate new art forms and styles. Each association lavished great expense on masquerade paraphernalia in a bid to display the most impressive masks and most inspired dances.
Exhibition HistoryThree Rivers of Nigeria: Art of the Lower Niger, Cross, and Benue from the Collection of William and Robert Arnett, The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, 1978
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, May 11, 1993 - July 1994
Art of Nigeria from the William S. Arnett Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, October 15, 1994 - January 2, 1995
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 1, December 15, 1995 - February 1997
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 2, February 1997 - July 1998
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, July 19, 2003 - March 13, 2007
Published ReferencesMarcilene K. Wittmer and William Arnett, Three Rivers of Nigeria: Art of the Lower Niger, Cross and Benue (Atlanta: The High Museum of Art, 1978), 74, number 176, back cover.

ProvenanceEx coll. William S. Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia, by 1978.

Status

Not on view

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