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Dance crest with opposing faces

19th–mid-20th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 343
In the southeastern forest region of Nigeria, village groupings are small and politically decentralized. Headdresses covered with leather are made by many different peoples living in villages along the Cross River and in Cameroon. These exceptional headdresses are owned by associations whose members are men or women of the same generation; membership is often further restricted to those who have performed certain feats or are proficient in particular skills. In the past, for example, there were associations of hunters who had killed leopards.

The headdresses, which bear the same name as the society that owns them, are worn during funerals and initiations. Some are startlingly naturalistic and may be portraits of known individuals; others are highly stylized. There are three overall types: helmet masks that cover the wearer's head entirely, masks that cover only the face, and headdresses that, like this one, are attached to basketry caps worn on top of the head.

To make a headdress, the artist carves the form from a single piece of wood and covers it with soft, untanned antelope skin that has been soaked in water for several days. He stretches, binds, and pegs the skin into place until it dries and stiffens. Eyes, scarifications, and hair are often carved separately and pegged into the finished piece. Before it is worn, the headdress is painted or colored, then adorned with porcupine quills, feathers, or feathered rods stuck into holes at the top.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dance crest with opposing faces
  • Artist: Ejagham or Bale artist
  • Date: 19th–mid-20th century
  • Geography: Nigeria, Lower Cross River region
  • Culture: Ejagham or Bale peoples
  • Medium: Wood, animal hide, pigment, cane, Kobus kob horns, iron, bone or ivory
  • Dimensions: H. 20 1/2 × W. 18 5/8 × D. 13 1/4 in. (52.1 × 47.3 × 33.7 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.206.299
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

Audio

Cover Image for 988. Kids: Headdress: Janus, Part 1

988. Kids: Headdress: Janus, Part 1

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Dance crest, Ejagham artist, Wood, animal hide, cane, iron, pigment, bone or ivory, Ejagham peoples
Dance crest
Ejagham artist
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Pendant mask of Ìyọ́bà Idià, Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood- carving guild) artists, Ivory, iron, brass, coal, traces of iron oxides, Edo
Pendant mask of Ìyọ́bà Idià
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Lidded Vessel, Yoruba artist, Ivory, wood or coconut-shell inlay, Yoruba peoples, Owo group
Lidded Vessel
Yoruba artist
17th–18th century
Ùhúnmwèlaò (head of an ọ́bà), Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n (brass-casting guild) artists, Brass, Edo
Ùhúnmwèlaò (head of an ọ́bà)
Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n (brass-casting guild) artists
Early 15th–mid-16th century
Court official from a commemorative altar, Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n (brass-casting guild) artists, Brass, Edo peoples
Court official from a commemorative altar
Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n (brass-casting guild) artists
16th–17th century

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Ejagham or Bale artist - Dance crest with opposing faces - Ejagham or Bale peoples - The Metropolitan Museum of Art