ClassificationsAfrican Art

Face Mask (Mfon Ekpo)

Place CreatedNigeria, Africa

CultureIbibio, Annang

Date20th Century

MediumWood, fiber, pigment

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions9 15/16 x 7 3/16 x 3 1/4 in. (25.2 x 18.3 x 8.3 cm)

Object number1994.004.213

Label TextThis mask represents an idealized woman. Danced only by initiated men, its performances express concepts about ideal womanhood, physical beauty, and moral human behavior. The Mfon ekpo mask represents a physically beautiful and morally pure young woman, signified here by the oval face, lustrous skin, and tripartite braided hairstyle. Meaning "beautiful soul", Mfon ekpo is danced by members of the Ekpo society. She embodies the benevolent, feminine character of the ancestors and performs in opposition to a malevolent, masculine character, Idiok ekpo, who wears a darkened mask with distorted facial features. Together, they represent the duality of the human spirit.

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, November 19, 2007 - December 1, 2014
Echos of the Past, Albany Museum of Art, Albany,GA, September 4, 2025-January 3, 2026
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), 65, number 147.

Terms

ProvenanceEx coll. William Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia, from at least 1978.

Status

Not on view

Collections