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Double mask (enyi ima)
Eket
19th–20th century
Object Place: Nigeria
Medium/Technique
Wood, pigment, fiber
Dimensions
52.5 x 28 cm (20 11/16 x 11 in.)
Credit Line
Frank B. Bemis Fund
Accession Number1992.510
CollectionsAfrica and Oceania
ClassificationsMasks
The round masks of the Eket are worn at funerals and agricultural festivals for the Ekong Society. Studies by anthropologists suggest that their shape may symbolize the moon. Double masks such as this one are rare.
ProvenanceBy 1979, Hubert Goldet (b. 1945 – d. 2000), Paris. 1992, sold by the Galerie Alain de Monbrison, Paris, to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 28, 1992)