Vintage Ibibio Mask

The Ibibio people often play with proportions in their masks to intentionally distort the face.

They have an overarching theme of contrasting male and female masks by using dark and light colors, respectively. Feminine masks are decorated with light colors such as white. Their features are delicate to emphasize their femininity. On the other hand, masculine masks use dark colors to represent the mystic forces of the forest. These masks often have large features and are created to be intentionally ugly. They achieve this by distorting the features in unnatural manners such as having bulging eyes or misplaced mouths.

The exact artist and date of the mask is unknown, but it likely dates to the first half of the 20th century. From Nigeria. 

Sourced by NYC-based vintage design purveyors, Form Atelier.