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African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
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Head Crest
Nigeria, Cross River region; Ejagham peoples, 19th–20th century
Wood, antelope skin, pigment; H. 28 1/8 in. (71.5 cm)
Provenance: [Lin and Emile Deletaille, Brussels, 2000]; [Pierre Loos, Brussels, before 2002]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 2002
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Head crests depicting beautiful women with elaborate coiffures are the spectacular creations of Ejagham artists from Nigeria's southeastern forest region. In order to achieve an intensely naturalistic and lifelike aspect, an antelope skin softened by being soaked in water is stretched over a sculpted wooden armature. In this example, the finely featured face is surmounted by the dramatic structure of the hairstyle, which is composed of five coiled, braided tresses. These formidable extensions are meant to resemble animal horns and suggest wild power. Attached to a basketry cap and worn on top of the head, such headdresses were owned by men's associations and danced during funerals and initiations. See a comparative example in the Met's collection.
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