Janus-Faced Water Spirit Headdress
African Art

Janus-Faced Water Spirit Headdress
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Yoruba Artist
Nigeria
Nigeria
Date
Twentieth century
Medium
Wood and pigment
Accession #
2007.278
Dimensions
17 1/2 x 14 x 14 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Skyway, Gallery 403
Description
This headdress is an example of the innovation, skill, and imagination of Yoruba artists of southwestern Nigeria. The large facial features are typical of Yoruba sculpture, with bulging eyes and triangular nose in high relief. However, the flat, disk-like face is unusual, contrasting with the typical rounded, fleshy forms of Yoruba sculpture. Masks such as this one perform in masquerade festivals in southern Yoruba and neighboring Ijebu communities to honor water spirits.
Credit
Gift of Bernard and Patricia WagnerImage Copyright
Photographer: Richard Goodbody
For Yoruba catalogue