Eket ogbom headcrest, Nigeria - Lot 85

Lot n° 85
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Estimation :
3000 - 5000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 2 860EUR
Eket ogbom headcrest, Nigeria - Lot 85
Eket ogbom headcrest, Nigeria Wood H. 62 cm Eket ogbom headcrest, Nigeria H. 24 1/2 in Provenance : - Alain Dufour, 1992 Beautiful and ancient ogbom monoxyle crest representing an oval head, set on a pole whose lower part forms a tubular neck and whose upper part projects above the skull. The head is hollowed out at the back, the eyes openwork, their sockets having been enlarged by ritual removal or the action of rodents. The nasal bridge is rooted in well-marked superciliary arches, and flares out to form a delicate nose. The half-open mouth projects slightly. The whole is covered with a fine black patina. This type of crest was used in ogbom ceremonies, which celebrated the deity of the isong land. In front of the altar raised in honor of the deity, men and women danced together, but only the men wore the crests. These were kept in the smoke ducts of the houses where they were thus protected from insects. Before a new use they were washed and repainted with natural pigments. The sculpture was attached to a wicker headdress which was fixed on the dancer's head, hidden under a cloth. This sculpture is thought to predate 1900, as the cult of the isong deity declined with Christianity from that time on.
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