Nimm crest
Conceived as a crocodile, the at once dangerous and alluring water spirit Nimm was the focus of a powerful women’s association. Early twentieth-century accounts of the group’s masquerade highlight the ferocity of Nimm’s movements. The awe-inspiring crest that accompanied the performance amplified that quality through its open jaw and bared, individually set teeth, as well as its associated costume of tattered cloth or netting, smeared with mud from the riverbed. The coiled, spiral horns that extend from the crown of this hide-covered example evoke the many rivers that wend their way through southeastern Nigeria. The horns also resemble the elaborate coiffures worn by women in this region.
Artwork Details
- Title: Nimm crest
- Artist: Ejagham artist
- Date: 19th–mid-20th century
- Geography: Nigeria, Lower Cross River region
- Culture: Ejagham peoples
- Medium: Wood, animal hide, cane, twine, cloth, lead, nails, pigment, resin
- Dimensions: H. 16 3/4 x W. 10 3/4 x D. 11 in. (42.5 x 27.3 x 27.9 cm.)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1970
- Object Number: 1978.412.625
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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Ejagham artist
19th–mid-20th century
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before 1938
Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood- carving guild) artists
16th century
Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n (brass-casting guild) artists
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16th–17th century
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