This finely rendered Ibibio marionette takes the relatively naturalistic form of a freestanding male figure with rounded muscular contours. The figure's eyes are lidded voids, its hinged jaw is set in a meditative expression, and decorative cicatrization bisects its torso. Its arms are extended at either side with hands held so that each thumb touches the tips of the other fingers, a stylized gesture designed to accommodate props. To control its movements, the hollow figure would have had a rod inserted through its back.

Objects such as this belonged to a distinctive dramaturgical tradition in southern Nigeria. Ibibio marionette performances were at once a form of popular cultural expression and entertainment and an important vehicle for social commentary. The theatrical presentations for which this sculptural accessory was created would have been highly topical and would have sought to influence social attitudes.