86 - Figure Wearing a Mask

Figure Wearing a Mask Hardwood, erosion on the lower part, old brown patina, signs of wear. Mumuye, Nigeria. 55 x 11 cm The body stretches into a slightly undulating line, extended by long, detached arms with barely sketched hands. The rounded belly and chest suggest a female figure. At the top, an ovoid headdress crowns a face with a nose and mouth projecting forward, featuring an ape-like appearance reminiscent of Mumuye masks. This free-form depiction of the upper part is what makes the sculpture so unique. Among the Mumuye, monkey masks—considered the “bride” of buffalo masks—were worn only by men. The figure could thus represent a mask bearer, here feminized, or perhaps the spirit itself, embodied in the sculpted form. General Bibliography: Marla C. Berns, Richard Fardon, and Sidney Littlefield Kasfir (eds.), *Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley*, Los Angeles, Fowler Museum at UCLA, 2011.