Accession No
2014.287
Description
Wooden antelope face mask. Two long, twisted horns painted black with white tips; face painted brown with black central line, nose and lips, and a white tongue; slightly protruding eyes painted white and black; oval eye slits cut either side of the central line; four holes drilled around the edges of the mask.
Place
Africa; West Africa; Nigeria; Southeast Nigeria
Period
Source
Jones, Gwilym Iwan 'G.I.' [field collector]; Jones, Ursula [vendor]
Department
Anth
Reference Numbers
2014.287
Cultural Affliation
Ogoni
Material
Wood; Pigment
Local Term
Measurements
230mm x 680mm x 120mm
Events
Context (Related Documents)
Label adhered to object notes [in black ink ?G.I. Jones' manuscript]: 'Ogoni/Antilope/Mask'.
[Label found bagged. Katrina Dring, 29/09/2021]
Event Date
Author: Remke van der Velden
Context (Display)
Copper wire in top central hole removed as probably used for display purposes and not original to the object.
Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring
Context (Other owners)
Gwilyam Iwan 'G.I.' Jones (1904 - 1995) was a colonial officer in southern Nigeria from 1926 to 1946, before becoming Lecturer in Social Anthropology at Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College. He undertook further periods of fieldwork and published major books on southern Nigeria that are still highly regarded for their sensitivity to historical complexity.
For more than twenty years, MAA has cared for Jones’ exceptionally rich photographic archive, which documents the great masquerade traditions and other aspects of the culture of the region. In February 2013 the Museum acquired part of Jones’ personal collection of artefacts, assembled over the decades he worked in Igboland, the Cross River and other regions. The group of masks, carvings and other works represent vital aspects of belief, history and art over the middle twentieth century.
The G.I. Jones collection of West African material was purchased on February 1 2014 from his widow Ursula Jones who generously allowed MAA to select from G.I’s personal collection in her home. Purchase funded partly through donations by Jesus College, John Goodliffe, Margaret Risbeth and the Wenbam Smith Family (as of June 3 2014).
Featured in Jones, G.I.,1984. The Art of Eastern Nigeria. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press. P. 189-190.
Event Date
Author: maa
Context (References)
Publications by G.I. Jones: Jones, G. I., 1984. The Art of Eastern Nigeria. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press.
Event Date 1984
Author: Remke van der Velden
Context (References)
Jones, G. I., 1989. Ibo Art. Shire Ethnography. Shire Publications.
Event Date 1989
Author: Katrina Dring
Description (Physical description)
Antelope mask with two white-tipped horns. Three holes are visible on the reverse near the chin section. One hole drilled through the mask on the top through which a copper wire was strung. Condition: Fair, left nostril and left tip of horn damaged.
Event Date 4/6/2014
Author: maa
Description (Physical description)
Wooden antelope face mask. Two long, twisted horns painted black with white tips; face painted brown with black central line, nose and lips, and a white tongue; slightly protruding eyes painted white and black; oval eye slits cut either side of the central line; four holes drilled around the edges of the mask.
Event Date 29/9/2021
Author: Katrina Dring
FM:267686
Images (Click to view full size):